In 1957, Gigli moved to the United States and did an internship in
internal medicine and residency in
dermatology at
Cook County Hospital in
Chicago, Illinois from 1957 to 1960. She spent a year doing research at
New York University, then moved to the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute in
Miami, Florida. There she spent three years doing research in
immunology. She moved to
Germany to spend two years doing research at the
University of Frankfurt, before moving back to the
United States. She then joined the faculty at
Harvard Medical School, where she worked until 1976. and she served as deputy director. While at UT Houston, she also held the positions of Walter & Mary Mischer Distinguished Professor in Molecular Medicine, director of the Center for Immunology and Autoimmune Diseases, She served on the Board of Scientific Counselors of the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and on the Board of Directors of the US Civilian Research and Development Foundation. == Personal life ==