María Auxiliadora Clavier (1934 – 2015), also called Maruja Clavier, was one of the first Venezuelan nuclear oncologists. She was a founder of the Dr. Raúl Vera Vera Oncology Unit, at the time a novel setting to provide comprehensive care to cancer patients in the country using nuclear medicine.

Biography

Maruja Clavier was born in 1934 in the

Anzoátegui State ) , anthem = '' Himno del Estado Anzoátegui'' , image_map = Anzoategui in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_ ...

located in the northeastern region of

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. She began her baccalaureate education at the Colegio Nuestra Señora de La Consolación in

Barcelona, Venezuela Barcelona is the capital of Anzoátegui State, Venezuela and was founded in 1671. Together with Puerto La Cruz, Lecheria and Guanta, Barcelona forms one of the most important urban areas of Venezuela, with a population of approximately 950,000. ...

and completed it in

Goshen, New York Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 13,687 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Biblical Land of Goshen. It contains a village also called Goshen, which is the county seat of Orange Count ...

. Upon returning to Venezuela, she revalidated her work at the Liceo Fermín Toro. Later she enrolled at the School of Medicine of the University of Los Andes, and then transferred to the School of Medicine of the

Central University of Venezuela The Central University of Venezuela (Spanish: ''Universidad Central de Venezuela''; UCV) is a public university of Venezuela located in Caracas. It is widely held to be the highest ranking institution in the country, and it also ranks 18th in ...

, where she graduated as a physician in 1960. Clavier's interest in the medicinal power of

nuclear medicine Nuclear medicine or nucleology is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging, in a sense, is " radiology done inside out" because it records radiation emi ...

was sparked when she translated from English into Spanish the book ''Physical Foundations of Radiology'' by

Edith Quimby Edith Hinkley Quimby (July 10, 1891 – October 11, 1982) was an American medical researcher and physicist, best known as one of the founders of nuclear medicine. Her work involved developing diagnostic and therapeutic applications of X-rays. One ...

(et al.), who was one of the founders of this medical specialty. In 1963, Clavier graduated with the first class of

radiation oncologist A radiation oncologist is a specialist physician who uses ionizing radiation (such as megavoltage X-rays or radionuclides) in the treatment of cancer. Radiation oncology is one of the three primary specialties, the other two being surgical and ...

s in the country, and the following year she founded the Eastern Chapter of the Society of Oncology in Barcelona, Venezuela. She served as its first president. She helped create the Dr. Raúl Vera Vera Oncology Unit, one of the first to provide comprehensive care to cancer patients.

Personal life

Clavier had five children. Two of her sons, Eduardo and Antonio Benavides, went on to pursue careers as Venezuelan oncologists.

Translations

* Glasser, O.; Quimby, E. H.; Taylor, L. S.; Weatherwax, J. L. (1944), ''Physical Foundations of Radiology'', New York: Hoeber

Memberships

* Venezuelan Society of Oncology, President of the Eastern Chapter, 1964 * Venezuelan Mastology Society, Member of the Electoral Committee 2003-2005

References

External links

* VESSURI, HEBE M. C. “The Search for a Scientific Community in Venezuela: From Isolation to Applied Research.” Minerva, vol. 22, no. 2, 1984, pp. 196–235. JSTOR
www.jstor.org/stable/41820563
Accessed 12 June 2020. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clavier, Maruja 1934 births 2015 deaths Venezuelan women physicians Venezuelan oncologists