On Thursday November 7^th, Dr. Laurencin, a member of the Racial Profiling Prohibition Project Advisory Board, provided a seminar on racial profiling and the correlation to poor health outcomes. He cited several studies showing that adverse health effects are experienced by people subjected to racial profiling by police. According to the Journal of Mental Health Counseling, a study that found that 81% of African Americans who reported racial discrimination experienced post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Laurencin called racial profiling a “health disparity and public health issue.”

Watch Dr. Laurencin present at the Racial Profiling Prohibition Project Advisory Board Meeting here.

The speech radiated such a significant impact, that the following day the talk was featured on NPR. Congratulations, Dr. Laurencin!

On Friday, November 7^th, members of The Connecticut Convergence Institute attended Urban League of Greater Hartford’s 55^th Annual Equal Opportunity Day Dinner and Celebration as an “Equality Sponsor” in Hartford, CT.  The event featured inspirational an awards ceremony for community champions followed by inspirational speeches from some of the most influential local community members.

The Urban League of Greater Hartford is a community based, not-for-profit that provides programs and services in the areas of: Adult Education; Youth Development; Workforce Development and Training; Economic Empowerment; and Health and Wellness. Their mission is to reduce economic disparities in our communities through programs, services and educational opportunities. The Connecticut Convergence Institute values Urban League of Greater Hartford as a partner in providing resourceful and life-changing programs.

On November 7th, Dr. Helen Wu, Dr. Narinder Maheshwari and the community outreach team visited Parkville Senior Center in Hartford to provide a JUMP program on heart health. Attendees learned about articular fibrillation and the importance of maintaining a healthy heart. The interactive demonstration concluded with participants receiving take-home pedometers and placing stickers on activity tracking boards which aims to track their steps over time. The JUMP Program falls under the CT Community Health Science Initiative which aims to educate the community on the importance of starting or maintaining a healthy lifestyle via nutrition and physical activity.

Thank you Aetna Foundation for making this program possible.

On Wednesday, November 6^th, Dr. Laurencin delivered the keynote speech titled “Success is What You Leave Behind” as part of the Lecture Series: Thought Leaders on Diversity and Inclusion. His presentation discussed new directions in the field of Regenerative Engineering and his work in building a new scientific community around convergence. The lecture was sponsored by the Women and Minority Faculty Inclusion and took place at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.

Dr. Laurencin also participated in a series of small group stakeholder meetings with MD Anderson’s Division of Surgery Trainees and Faculty Leaders, and the WMFI Advisory Committee. He wrapped up his visit networking with members of the Underrepresented Minority Male Faculty committee, an initiative led by the WMFI office.

On Monday, November 4^th, Dr. Laurencin provided the keynote address for the 10^th International Symposium on Clusters and Nanomaterials (ISCAN) in Richmond, VA.  He engaged the crowd with a powerful presentation on “Regenerative Engineering and Nanotechnology.”  Dr. Laurencin wrapped up the presentation with inspiring words of wisdom and advice for the next generation of clinicians and scientists.

The focus of the conference is on the structure-property relationships of clusters and nanomaterials, with a focus on their role in solving outstanding problems in energy and medicine; two of the most important challenges facing science and society. The symposium brings together researchers from diverse fields of physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, engineering and medicine. The objective is to create a broad platform for interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and results, identify outstanding problems and develop new collaborations.

The AfroBiotech Conference, hosted by the Society for Biological Engineering in Atlanta, Georgia, will highlight the achievements of African Americans in biotechnology, inspire a new generation of diverse biotechnology professionals and identify, communicate, and explore current advancements in various aspects of Biotechnology. The October 27^th-29^th conference aims to support AIChE’s diverse engineering community.

The AfroBiotech conference will focus on discoveries, innovations, and achievements from African-American scientists and engineers in biotechnology to feature the contributions of this underrepresented group to solving current problems and demonstrate the power of a diverse engineering community. By organizing African-American scientific talent from across the U.S. at a single event, AfroBiotech hopes to enable the biotech industry to hire diverse professionals, inspire organizers of other scientific conferences to invite diverse speakers, and inspire the next generation of diverse students and scholars to join this community.

On Thursday, October 25^th The Connecticut Convergence Institute hosted a Health Café on Trauma in conjunction with The Urban League of Greater Hartford. The event attracted over 80 attendees making it one of our most successful Health Cafes to date!

Dr. Damion Grasso, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UConn Health provided an easy to understand keynote speech regarding “Adversity and Trauma Across Development”. In addition, resource tables were provided with representatives from Wheeler Clinic, Charter Oak Health Center and My People Clinical Services. All Health Café attendees were provided a free dinner and giveaways.

We would like to thank the Aetna Foundation for making this event possible.

This year’s YMCA Celebrates Champions event featured honored guests and speakers Rebecca Lobo, NCAA National Champion, Olympic gold medalist, WNBA all-star and hall of famer; Steve Rushin, author of five non-fiction books and a novel, columnist and feature writer for Sports Illustrated; and Kevin Washington, YMCA of the USA President and CEO.

Over the past decade, the Wilson-Gray YMCA Youth & Family Center has evolved into a beacon for a brighter future for youth and families. Annually, it engages nearly 4,000 active members, over 500 children in summer camp and after-school programs, and close to 300 youth in leadership development programs. Funds raised from the Champions event will support the Wilson-Gray YMCA community today, for the next 10 years, and beyond.

The Connecticut Convergence Institute values the Y as a partner in providing innovative and life-changing programs.

FARMINGTON, CT- On October 22^nd The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization announced Professor Cato T. Laurencin as a winner of the 2019 UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences.

The Prize is awarded to a maximum of three laureates who have made significant efforts through scientific research towards improving the quality of human life. Professor Laurencin was formally selected by the UNESCO Director-General for his fundamental contributions in the field of regenerative engineering, a field he has pioneered. Laurencin is known worldwide as a leader in biomaterials, nanotechnology, stem cell science, drug delivery systems, and regenerative engineering.

Laurencin will receive the award in February 2020 during the Africa Union Heads of States Summit taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

At the University of Connecticut, Professor Laurencin is the University Professor, the eighth to be designated by the school in its over 135 year history. He is Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering; the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery; and Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering.

In 2016, Laurencin received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest honor bestowed in America for technological achievement, presented by the President of the United States. He received the Philip Hauge Abelson Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Science “for signal contributions to the advancement of science in the United States.” In addition, he has also received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Pioneer Award and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Grant Award.

Laurencin is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the first person to win the oldest honors of both the National Academy of Engineering (the Simon Ramo Founders Award), and the National Academy of Medicine (the Walsh McDermott Medal). He is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Internationally, he is an elected fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Academy of Engineering, and the World Academy of Sciences, as well as an Academician and elected member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.