Gerty Cori was born August 15th, 1896 into a Jewish family her father Otto Radnitz was a chemist who became manager of sugar refineries after inventing a successful method for refining sugar. At the age of 16 Gerty who was named after a warship decided she wanted to become a medical doctor, and idea not well supported by society because of her gender. Never the less Gerty persisted and went on to study science only to find that she didnt have the prerequisties in latin, physics,chemistry and mathmatics. In the course of a year she weAfter nt on to study 8 years worth of latin, 5 years worth of science and 5 years worth of math. After graduating Gerty did research for The State Institute for the Study of Malignant Disease which is known today as Roswell Park Institute. In 1947 Gerty became the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of mechanism by which glycogen is broken down in muscle tissue into lactic acid and then stored as a source of energy known as the Cori Cycle. Gerty Theresa Cori died October 26, 1957 due to Melofibrosis.