Virginia Guidone Upton was a distinguished endocrinologist, medical scientist and clinical pharmacologist, inspired teacher and outstanding feminist leader.

She earned her PhD in Physiology from Yale University in 1964, a time when few women, especially a married woman with three children, undertook programs like this. In 1971, she was one of the founders of the Association of Women in Science.

After graduation, she served as director of the endocrine lab of the West Haven VA Hospital and senior research associate at the Yale Medical School. In 1974 she joined Wyeth International Ltd., now part of Pfizer, where she served as director of clinical endocrinology worldwide and then as director of clinical research and development at Wyeth.

She was awarded the Yale Graduate School Alumni Association Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal in 1997.

After her retirement from Wyeth in 1998, she moved to Vero Beach and was very active in local community education and literacy programs and served as President of the Republican Women Aware in 2000.