Who is She? Gerty Theresa Cori was an immigrant who became the first North American woman to win a Nobel Prize.
What did She do? Born in Prague, Gerty Theresa Cori and her husband Carl emigrated to the US in the 1920s to escape the anti-semitism of post World War I Europe. Although she was a brilliant scientist, she was often told that she was “standing in the way” of her husband’s success. This did not stop the couple from researching together. In 1947, they won the Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology for their work on glucose and glycogen.
Why does She matter? The Coris discovered that chemical imbalances within the body could cause diseases in people, not just viruses or bacteria. This changed the way we treat diseases like diabetes, hypoglycemia and Von Gierke’s disease. Doctors are able to give people medicine and lifestyle adjustments to manage these conditions. They also explained how muscles use sugar as energy and how that energy can be stored for future use in the body. Athletes use this knowledge to "carbo load" before events, ensuring that their bodies won't run out of fuel at crucial moments in competition. There are tons of books and websites on the topic of glucose and how it works in the body. These resources would not exist without the efforts of this immigrant who was often overlooked for being a woman.
