FARMINGTON, CT- On July 1, 2020, Dr. Cato T. Laurencin becomes President of the IMHOTEP Connecticut NMA Society, a community-based affiliated organization of the National Medical Association. The National Medical Association (NMA) represents the interests of Black Physicians and the patients that they serve.
“On behalf of the State of Connecticut, we are honored that Dr. Laurencin will now be the President of the IMHOTEP Connecticut NMA Society. His leadership in cutting-edge healthcare, science and engineering makes him a driving force for change.” says Senator Douglas McCrory, Deputy President Pro Tempore of the Connecticut state Senate.
Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. is a designated University Professor at the University of Connecticut. He is the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is the Chief Executive Officer of The Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering at the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Laurencin earned a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University, and his M.D., Magna Cum Laude, from the Harvard Medical School, and received the Robinson Award for Surgery. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was named a Hugh Hampton Young Fellow.
In Connecticut, he has been honored by the Urban League of Greater Hartford, the Hartford Public School System and the Connecticut State Legislature for his work in the community. He is an appointed member of the State of Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project Advisory Board and he currently serves as a Commissioner of Boxing for the State of Connecticut. Dr. Laurencin served as Dean of the Medical School and Vice President for Health Affairs at the University of Connecticut where he was the faculty leader of the state’s Bioscience Connecticut Initiative. He has been recognized as a Connecticut Health Care Hero by Connecticut Magazine.
Dr. Laurencin is active in mentoring, especially students of color. He received the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mentor Award, the Beckman Award for Mentoring and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math and Engineering Mentoring in ceremonies at the White House. The Society for Biomaterials established The Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Travel Fellowship in his honor, awarded to underrepresented students of color pursuing research.
Dr. Laurencin is an expert in public health, especially as it pertains to racial and ethnic health and health disparities. He is a core faculty member of the Africana Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut, and is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, published by Springer Nature, the leading journal of the field.
Nationally, he co-Founded the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute, dedicated to addressing Health Disparities, and served as its Founding Chair. Dr. Laurencin served as a trustee of the National Medical Association for over 10 years, and served as Speaker of the House of Delegates for that organization. The W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute and the National Medical Association established the Cato T. Laurencin Lifetime Research Achievement Award, given during the opening ceremonies of the National Medical Association Meeting.
Dr. Laurencin is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, and an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.