Gertrude B. Elion 1918- 1999 Scientist and Nobel Prize winner, Gertrude Elion was born to immigrant
Gertrude B. Elion 1918- 1999 Scientist and Nobel Prize winner, Gertrude Elion was born to immigrant parents in New York City. She worked hard in public school and college and graduated with a degree in Chemistry. Despite her credentials, Gertrude initially had trouble finding work because many laboratories refused to hire woman chemists. She worked sometimes as a lab assistant and sometimes as a substitute teacher while she finished her Master’s degree. With the advent of WWII, new possibilities opened for women in chemistry. She began a partnership with Dr. George Hitchings, together they investigated the chemical make up of diseased cells and pathogens to find ways to block viral infection. They found ways to block leukemia, herpes and AIDS. With the bulk of her work, Gertrude would develop 45 patents in medicine and be awarded 23 honorary degrees. Gertrude served as an advisor to the World Health Organization and the American Association for Cancer Research. It was in 1988 that Gertrude received the Nobel for Medicine, only one of many such awards. -- source link
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