Eugenia del Pino

Eugenia del Pino
Born	Eugenia María del Pino Veintimilla (1945-04-19) April 19, 1945 Quito, Ecuador
Occupation(s)	Developmental biologist, professor
Years active	1972–2013 (teaching at PUCE)
Known for	First Ecuadorian inducted into the US National Academy of Sciences; pioneering developmental biology research in Ecuador and Latin America
Notable work	Research on early developmental stages in frogs, especially marsupial frog Gastrotheca riobambae

Eugenia María del Pino Veintimilla (born April 19, 1945, in Quito, Ecuador) is a developmental biologist affiliated with the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador located in Quito. She holds the distinction of being the first Ecuadorian inducted into the United States National Academy of Sciences in 2006 and was honored with the 2019 Prize from the Latin American Society for Developmental Biology in recognition of her impactful scientific work in Ecuador and her efforts to advance Developmental Biology throughout Latin America.

Biography

Born and raised in Quito, Ecuador, Del Pino completed her licentiate degree at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE) in 1967. She then pursued graduate studies abroad, earning a Master of Science from Vassar College in 1969 and a Ph.D. from Emory University in 1972. After completing her doctorate, she returned to Ecuador and joined PUCE’s faculty, where she taught Biology from 1972 until 2013 and was subsequently named professor emerita. Her primary research focus has been on early developmental stages in frogs.

From 1973 to 1975, she led the Biological Sciences department at PUCE. Supported by a fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, she conducted research at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg between 1984 and 1985. Later, as a Fulbright fellow, she worked under Professor Joseph G. Gall at the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Department of Embryology in Baltimore during 1990.

The Latin American Society for Developmental Biology recognizes Eugenia del Pino as one of the foremost developmental biologists in Latin America.

Research and career

Eugenia del Pino’s professional journey illustrates resilience and strategic utilization of institutional support. Initially trained as a high school educator at PUCE through the Alliance for Progress initiative, she secured scholarships from LASPAU and the American Association of University Women that enabled her to pursue advanced degrees in the United States. Under the mentorship of Asa Alan Humphries, Jr., at Emory University, she completed her Ph.D. focusing on fertilization processes in Xenopus laevis. Upon returning to Ecuador in 1972, she joined PUCE as a Biology professor and played a key role in developing developmental biology research there.

Faced with financial constraints that prevented acquisition of Xenopus laevis specimens, del Pino innovatively adopted the native marsupial frog Gastrotheca riobambae as an alternative model organism to investigate evolutionary developmental biology. This species is notable for its reproductive adaptation whereby females carry eggs within a dorsal pouch—a distinctive trait among Latin American Hemiphractidae frogs. Over ninety species have evolved this terrestrial reproductive strategy, paralleling mammalian reproductive mechanisms.

Embryos of marsupial frogs develop within saline conditions inside the maternal pouch, a stark contrast to the aquatic development typical of frogs like Xenopus. Del Pino discovered that these embryos excrete urea rather than ammonia, an adaptation that facilitates water conservation during development within the pouch environment. She further demonstrated that supplementing urea can sustain embryo growth outside maternal care, underscoring an evolutionary response to osmotic stress.

The relatively large eggs (ranging from 3 to 10 millimeters in diameter) provide sufficient nutrients for complete embryogenesis. Del Pino’s research revealed that Gastrotheca embryos exhibit developmental patterns akin to those observed in chick embryos but differ by featuring a circular blastopore instead of a primitive streak. This finding highlights modularity in amphibian gastrulation and notochord formation linked to reproductive strategies and ecological factors.

Her investigations also described cranial neural crest cell populations forming “bell gills,” structures that facilitate gas exchange between mother and embryo—functionally analogous to an amphibian placenta despite lacking a uterus. Additionally, she identified distinctive oocyte characteristics in the Venezuelan marsupial frog Flectonotus pygmaeus, where early-stage oocytes contain thousands of meiotic nuclei that eventually reduce to a single mature germinal vesicle.

Del Pino’s groundbreaking contributions have led to her election into several prestigious organizations including the Latin American Academy of Sciences and The World Academy of Sciences. In 2006, she became the first Ecuadorian inducted into the US National Academy of Sciences. Among her many accolades is the L’Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science for Latin America. Her career exemplifies how pioneering biological research can flourish globally when supported by robust institutional frameworks.

She established a prominent school of Biology within Ecuador centered on evolutionary developmental adaptations, thereby creating a lasting scientific heritage for developmental biology across Latin America.

Teaching and societal impact

Eugenia del Pino was a pioneer in introducing Developmental Biology to Ecuador, with Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE) standing as the only institution offering comprehensive undergraduate courses combining both theoretical knowledge and practical experience in this discipline for many years. Her laboratory remained the nation's most productive Developmental Biology research facility, predominantly staffed by undergraduate students due to the lack of graduate-level programs.

She demonstrated exceptional aptitude in fostering international scientific partnerships, collaborating with experts from countries such as the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany through informal networks and prestigious programs including the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and Fulbright scholarships. Throughout her career, she played a crucial role in educating numerous Latin American scientists, having guided over 300 students. A significant portion of her scholarly articles features undergraduate co-authors, underscoring her dedication to mentoring students in research.

Aware of Ecuador's absence of a National Academy of Sciences, del Pino joined forces with peers to found the National Academy of Sciences of Ecuador (ACE). They developed its governing statutes and achieved official government recognition in 2013. She held the position of Vice President at ACE from 2013 until 2016. Since its inception, ACE has expanded to include more than 50 Fellows, promoting acknowledgment of scientific achievements, enhancing communication among Ecuadorian researchers, and facilitating international collaborations.

For nearly a quarter-century, del Pino actively promoted conservation education within the Galápagos Archipelago. She supported the Charles Darwin Foundation by helping establish scholarships aimed at Ecuadorian students and served as its Vice President during the 1990s before resigning due to time constraints.

Her extensive contributions have solidified her reputation as a leading figure in both Ecuadorian and Latin American scientific communities.

Honors

• Certificate recognizing Education and Conservation Contributions in the Galápagos Islands, awarded by World Wildlife Fund, 1986.
• Medal bestowed by the Charles Darwin Foundation for work related to the Galápagos Islands, 1999.
• Founding member of the Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Biología.
• Honorary Foreign Membership in the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, 1996.
• Inducted into the Latin American Academy of Sciences (ACAL), 1987.
• Fellowship at the World Academy of Sciences for Promoting Science in Developing Nations, 1989.
• Recipient of the L’OREAL-UNESCO Award for Women in Science in Latin America, 2000.
• Sheth Distinguished International Emory Alumni Awardee, 2003.
• Awarded “Pluma de la Dignidad” by Ecuador’s National Association of Journalists, 2003.
• Delivered the World Academy of Sciences Medal Lecture, 2005.
• Honored with the Eugenio Espejo Medal for Sciences by Quito’s Council and Mayor, 2005.
• Granted Honorary Foreign Membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2006.
• Named International Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2006.
• Awarded Ecuador’s National Eugenio Espejo Prize (Premio Nacional Eugenio Espejo) by the government, 2012.
• Received Eugenio Espejo Medal for Sciences from Quito’s Chamber of Commerce, 2012.
• Founding member of Ecuador’s Academy of Sciences, 2013.
• Honored with Latin American Society of Developmental Biology Prize, Buenos Aires, 2019.
• Lifetime Achievement Award from Developmental Biology-Society for Developmental Biology, Vancouver, 2022.
• Recognized as Woman of the Year in Sciences by Revista Hogar, Guayaquil, 2022.

External links

• Eugenia M. del Pino, Ph.D., Academic profile, School of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
• , Quito, Ecuador

Further reading

• Insights on the Experience of Being Both a Scientist and Science Educator in Ecuador. April 6, 2006. Accessible at https://web.archive.org/web/20120315183015/http://agora.forwomeninscience.com/index.php/2006/04/reflections-on-being-a-scientist-and-a-teacher-of-science-in-ecuador/
• Valiente, G. Renowned biologist Eugenia del Pino 72G: Why use mice when marsupial tree frogs suffice? Emory Magazine, Spring 2007. Available at http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_MAGAZINE/spring2007/del_pino.htm