As a 15-year-old schoolgirl in her native Germany, Gisela M. Schwab was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. She endured three recurrences of this cancer of the lymphatic system in her late teens and early 20s.
The experience sparked her interest in medicine, leading to a career as an oncologist. In that role, she was sometimes frustrated by a lack of effective medication for some types of cancer. She won a fellowship at the U.S. National Cancer Institute in Maryland in the mid-1980s and transitioned to a career in drug development.
