Gerty Cori

Czech-American biochemist

Born: August 15, 1896 · Died: October 26, 1957

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Who was Gerty Cori?

Gerty Theresa Cori (née Radnitz; August 15, 1896 – October 26, 1957) was a Czech and American biochemist who in 1947 was the third woman to win a Nobel Prize in science, and the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for her role in the "discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen". Cori was born in Prague, the capital of Bohemia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Growing up at a time when women were marginalized and allowed few educational opportunities, she gained admittance to medical school, where she met her future husband Carl Ferdinand Cori in an anatomy class. Upon their graduation in 1920, they married. Because of deteriorating conditions in Europe, the couple emigrated to the United States in 1922. Gerty Cori continued her early interest in medical research, collaborating in the laboratory with Carl.

Gerty Cori with her husband and fellow-Nobelist, Carl Ferdinand Cori, in 1947.

Historical significance

She published research coauthored with her husband, as well as publishing singly. Unlike her husband, she had difficulty securing research positions, and the ones she obtained provided meager pay.

Sources and further reading

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MLA

“Gerty Cori.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/gerty-cori/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

APA

Gerty Cori. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/gerty-cori/

Chicago

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