between 1942 and 1945 dussán worked as research assistant at nei and jointly worked with her husband on an evaluation of funerary urns in the magdalena department and carried out a study on the physical anthropology of the pijao people of the tolima department. during this period, she also gave birth to the couple's first child, rené reichel dussán. she was awarded research grant to carry out studies in 1944 from the french government. besides the difficulty of the physical work, dussán had to face criticism from local priests and other members of society, who felt that her dress and behavior were inappropriate for a woman. for the first two decades of her career, she was the only woman working in anthropology in colombia, and was ridiculed for not choosing a career as a social worker or nurse, if she insisted on working. wearing pants, instead of the customary dresses for women at that time, and becoming one of the first women to drive a car resulted in people calling her a man and throwing stones at her.