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The
artistic scientist Carmen S. Dence's expertise ranges from radiology research to dazzling dance performances By Darrell E. Ward "Many times in life, you find your future in places that you least expect," says Carmen S. Dence, research scientist in radiology.
Dence's future in science grew from a high-school teacher whose lectures and experiments brought chemistry alive. After high school, her parents encouraged her to enter the Universidad del Atlantico in Barranquilla, where she earned a degree in pharmaceutical sciences in 1967. She then headed the pharmacy division at a hospital in Cali, Colombia. In 1969, she received a scholarship for graduate study at Florida State University and earned a master's degree in organic chemistry. She then spent a year at Purdue University, studying the pharmacology of natural products. Her thesis adviser at FSU was an organic chemist named Joseph B. Dence, Ph.D. Their relationship had been strictly academic. "There was no hint that we would meet again later in life and marry," she says. The two had stayed in touch occasionally, and one day he was driving through Columbus, Ohio, where she was working at a pharmaceutical company, and he invited her to dinner. He was then working at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University, but was leaving soon to take a job at the Abadan Institute of Technology in Iran. During his first months away, she received cards, letters and even flowers from him. Then in the mail came an airplane ticket -- and the hope she would join him. She decided to go. "My heart told me this would be more than just an adventure," she says. "It was going to mean something." Shortly after her arrival in Abadan, the couple married. That was nearly 26 years ago. As Joseph's contract drew to a close in 1978, Iran's political scene grew ominous. The couple declined an invitation to continue working at the institute and returned to the United States. Four months later, the Shah's government collapsed, and the reign of Ayatollah Khomeini began. "We left behind friends who faced many hardships," Dence says. "They had difficulty leaving the country and lost everything." In the United States, the couple decided to settle in St. Louis.
Joseph returned to Washington University, working first for the Department of Anatomy and Physiology and subsequently for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Today, he is adjunct professor of chemistry at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Carmen's career at Washington University began in the Department of Pharmacology and then continued in the Department of Radiology, where she has worked for 23 years. "I wouldn't change one day of my life at Washington University," Dence says. "I could not have chosen a more rewarding career." The scientist At the University, Dence develops custom radiopharmaceuticals -- drugs that are mildly radioactive -- for investigators using positron emission tomography (PET) in their research. PET is an imaging technology developed at the University that identifies diseased and healthy tissue based on metabolic, rather than anatomical, differences in cells and organs. "Carmen is a key person in our research and development efforts," says Michael J. Welch, Ph.D., professor of radiology, of molecular biology and pharmacology, leader of the Oncologic Imaging Program at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at the School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Dence's longtime supervisor. "She's good in the lab, keeps up with the latest developments in the field and is a fun colleague." Dence collaborates with investigators from many departments and participates in studies that involve PET imaging of the heart, brain, lungs and various cancers. Each project presents new challenges and opportunities to learn. "It's a real pleasure to work with a range of investigators, to understand their needs and determine how to fulfill them," she says. Her ability to meet the needs of a study makes Dence particularly valuable to researchers, says Mark A. Mintun, M.D., professor of radiology and associate professor of psychiatry. "Carmen is outgoing and willing to talk honestly about ideas and problems," Mintun says. "At the same time, she is meticulous and thoughtful in the laboratory. Those are great qualities for solving problems, and that's important because our work truly requires a team effort." The most fulfilling part of her work, however, comes from knowing she is helping people with serious diseases. "All of us in the program know that the different compounds we prepare will touch a human being, and we all feel a responsibility for giving that person and that physician the best chance for a better diagnostic outcome," Dence says. She also is eager to share her knowledge and experience, and she helps train eight to 12 students each semester. The artist Friends and colleagues also praise Dence for her efforts to introduce Hispanic culture to Americans.
Dence's attraction to the arts began when she was a little girl growing up in Barranquilla, a major industrial port on Colombia's Caribbean coast. She was the oldest of six children, three girls and three boys. Her father, Galo Nunez, was a cabinetmaker who loved sports and writing. In his spare time he covered soccer and other sports for a local newspaper. He died almost 20 years ago, but Dence fondly recalls attending many games with him. Her mother, Margarita Trujillo Nunez, a housewife who has always enjoyed dancing, remains in good health. Dance always has been an important part of life for Dence, and early memories of being held by her mother and whirled about the room sometimes prompt Dence to tease that she learned the Cumbia before she learned to walk. Most of Dence's family remains in Colombia. The government has largely contained the terrorism and kidnappings that have plagued the country, she says, but life there still involves risks. Yet, people carry on. "They work, study, advance, create and push forward," she says. "It is a triumph of the human spirit to live and maintain a level of decency and hard work despite the country's problems." Dence shares her country's rich heritage and her love of art and entertainment with her coworkers and the community. She founded the folk dance group, Grupo Atlantico, more than seven years ago. The group visits elementary and high schools, colleges and universities to hold workshops teaching Colombian Caribbean dances that are rooted in Spanish, African and Native South American cultures. The performances recreate carnivals, complete with masks, flags and costumes. Dence has a certificate in fashion design from the University and crafts all of the costumes worn by the dance group, which performs for schools throughout the state and at festivals and celebrations around St. Louis. The Missouri Folk Art Program chose Dence as a "master artist" four times. She used the one-year scholarships to teach costume-making and traditional dances to apprentices. In addition, Dence encourages minority and poor students to consider science as a career, and she tutors high school and community college Hispanic students. Dence approaches both her artistic and scientific work with the help of advice adopted from St. Thomas Aquinas: "If your ailment has a remedy, why complain? And if it does not, why complain?" "I try to be positive and proactive in everything I do," Dence says. "If a problem can be solved, let's solve it; if it can't be solved, then let's not waste more time on it." Dence firmly believes that the people with whom we surround ourselves contribute to who we are. "I always have tried to surround myself with people who are very positive, enthusiastic and encouraging," she says, "and I have been privileged to find many such people at Washington University. Their encouragement has contributed to my scientific and artistic development." And foremost among these individuals is her husband, she says. "He is my No. 1 fan for everything that I do." |
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