The wall of his office is papered with black-and-white certificates, evidence of education, accomplishment, recognition and respect. But there, in the very center, is an oil painting practically pulsating with color: greens and oranges, reds and blues.

"Pine trees and something about people and family as well, but just say it is pine trees," suggested Professor No-Hee Park, dean of the School of Dentistry, internationally recognized researcher and - when he can find the time - painter.

Park loves painting, but he finds his work at UCLA equally creative.

"I love to teach," he said. "When students enter dental school they don't have any idea about dentistry whatsoever," he said. "By teaching them, we are making them into perfect dentists, perfect researchers. It's similar to painting a blank canvas."

Most creative of all, Park said, is research.

"You are finding unknown truth," he said. "You're constantly exploring."

Growing up in Korea, Park dreamed of a career as a military officer. His high grades qualified him academically, but he couldn't pass the military academy's requirement of running 2,000 meters in seven minutes. He deferred to a career chosen for him, in the Korean tradition, by his father.

While the prospects of a dental practice held little interest for Park, he found that conducting research was intriguing. Following dental school at Seoul National University, he studied pharmacology at the Medical College of Georgia and then attended dental school at Harvard.

Today, Park is one of the world's leading researchers in oral cancer. As director of UCLA's Dental Research Institute and the Wound Healing Research Center, he developed a test-tube model of oral cancer. By studying the process in vitro, Park and his research team came upon a connection between cancer and the virus human papillomavirus. While the virus itself doesn't cause cancer, it "immortalizes" normal cells. When exposed to carcinogens such as tobacco, these cells easily become virtually indestructible malignant cancer cells.

Some 100 scientists around the world now use Park's model in their own research. In June, he will travel to Japan to accept the 2001 International Association of Dental Research Oral Medicine & Pathology Research Award.

Park has been on the dental school faculty since 1984, served as associate dean for research in 1997 and became dean in 1998. Throughout, he has continued to produce prodigious amounts of research.

"It's stressful. I'm always worrying about getting grants and making publications deadlines," said Park, who is steadfast in his commitment to groundbreaking oral cancer research.

When he needs a break, he paints. "Sometimes I spend hours and hours painting. It's very rewarding."