Cori was born in Prague in 1896, which is now in the present-day Czech Republic. "Cori, Gerty Theresa." World Book Student, World Book, 2017, World Book. Accessed 10 May 2017. She was the first of three daughters.  Her father was a manager at a sugar factory. Cori’s work was influenced by her parents. Her family encouraged her to pursue a career in science. She went to a special high school. Gerty Cori then entered the German-language University where she received an M.D. degree. There, she met her husband, Carl Ferdinand Cori.[1] They both took the same classes and studied human complement. In 1922, they moved to the United States to get a stabler life after World War I. In America, Ferdinand Cori worked at the University of Graz and the University of Vienna. Gerty's job involved her being an assistant at the Karolinen Children's Hospital. Her work there sparked her interest in the thyroid gland.