Esther M. Sternberg has made many contributions to the study of rheumatology, neuroendocrinology, stress and neurological disorders, and the relationship between emotions and disease. Her research was fundamental to elucidating the etiology of a puzzling 1989 epidemic of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome. Sternberg's work on the new field of research known as "mind-body interactions" has been instrumental in explaining how the immune system and the nervous system communicate with each other.

Sternberg was born in Montreal in 1951. In 1991, she became a citizen of the United States. Her choice of a career was greatly influenced by her family background. Joseph Sternberg, her father, was a physician-scientist and a pioneer in the fields of radiation biology and nuclear medicine.

In 1972, Sternberg received a B.Sc., with Great Distinction, from McGill University, located in Montreal. Two years later, she was awarded an M.D. from McGill. During her post-graduate medical training at the Royal...