Gertrude B. Elion Biography

Gertrude B. Elion When Gertrude Elion was born on a cold night in New York city no one knew of the lives she would save later in life. Her parents, Bertha and Robert Elion had come to the United States as immigrants, from eastern european countries. Her father was 12 when he moved from Lithuania to New York City where he sought higher education. Mr.Elion found what he was looking for and graduated from New York University of Dental School in 1914. Her mother moved from a part of Russia which we now know as Poland when she was 14 years old. Bertha was known by her maiden name Cohen until she married Robert Elion at 19. Gertrude was an extraordinary woman born to ordinary parents. On January 23, 1918 in New York City just 4 years after her father earned his dentistry degree Gertrude Belle Elion came into the world. She lived with her loving parents in a large manhattan apartment attached to her father’s dental office for almost 7 years. When she was 6 her younger brother was born, bringing great change to the family. After Gertrude’s brother was born they moved to the Bronx which was thought of the suburbs of New York City in the 1920s. Gertrude loved the change

She worked as the Head of the Department of Experimental Therapy for 16 year and was connected to the National Cancer Institute for many years. Although Ms.Elion has been honored in many different ways her greatest achievement is receiving the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1988 for her work with a variety of drugs. Although she loved her work she was also passionate about travel, theater, ballet, and music specifically opera. Gertrude never married but she was close with her brother and his family which included his wife, their three sons and a daughter. Gertrude is an amazing example of a woman who put herself into something she believed in and not only achieve great things but break through gender