Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students

November 15, 2016

Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students By Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.

I was honored to serve as the keynote speaker for the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Tampa, FL on November 10. ABRCMS is the largest professional conference for underrepresented minority students in STEM. The theme for the meeting was “Diverse Voices, Diverse Science: A Future of Excellence in STEM Research.” My lecture, “Regenerative Engineering: The Future of Tissue Regeneration” highlighted the increasing convergence between engineering, biology, and medicine. This meeting was packed with undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students, graduate students and postdoctoral scientists and faculty, program directors and administrators. Thanks to ABRCMS for inviting me to participate in this important conference.

Rock Stars of Regenerative Engineering

October 31, 2016

By Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.

I am pleased to announce that the Regenerative Engineering Society will present the first “Rock Stars of Regenerative Engineering Conference.”

The conference is being hosted by the National Academy of Engineering at the Beckman Center in Irvine, California on December 10 and December 11, 2016.

The Regenerative Engineering Society is a new society focusing on the convergence of areas including advanced materials, stem cell science, physics, developmental biology and clinical translation for solving next generation challenges in tissue regeneration. The society recently has joined with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and is now one of its communities.

The Rock Stars of Regenerative Engineering will feature seven current exciting leaders of the field who will discuss their work in an interactive fashion. Poster sessions will allow younger investigators to interact, while there are plans to bring high school students to the meal events to allow networking with them.

We are excited about this new and innovative approach to the phrase “scientific meeting.” The conference is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

The call for poster abstracts is now open. Abstracts can be submitted through https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/rsre16/cfp.cgi.

Regenerative Engineering Society

September 9, 2016

By Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.

I am delighted to officially announce the launch of Regenerative Engineering Society. The mission of the Regenerative Engineering Society is to promote and advance regenerative engineering, a field defined as the Convergence of Advanced Materials Sciences, Stem Cell Sciences, Physics, Developmental Biology and Clinical Translation for the regeneration of complex tissues and organ systems. With the new society we want to bundle our expertise on a national level. This will not only allow us to enhance our capabilities in the U.S. but this will also contribute towards enhancing our visibility internationally.

The founding leadership of the Regenerative Engineering Society are: Dr. Cato Laurencin from University of Connecticut (Chair), Dr. Lakshmi Nair from UConn Health (Secretary), Dr. Yusuf Khan from University of Connecticut (Treasurer), Dr. Ali Khademhousseini from MIT (Board), Dr. Kevin Lo from UConn Health (Board), Dr. David Gardiner from University of California, Irvine (Board), and Dr. Guillermo Ameer from Northwestern University (Board).

For more information, please visit the society’s website at http://www.aiche.org/resociety

Speaking at the American Chemical Society Committee on Minority Affairs Luncheon

By Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.

Last month, I was really honored to be the keynote speaker the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Minority Affairs Luncheon in Philadelphia. I discussed my thoughts on developing students to work in the area of STEM. My parents inspired me to study medicine and engineering so I hope by speaking at the American Chemical Society, I can encourage and insprire many young people to follow my path.

The Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA) aims to lead change in institutional culture within the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the chemical enterprise and achieve full participation and expression of intellectual and creative capacity of underrepresented minorities.

Speaking at the American Chemical Society Committee on Minority Affairs Luncheon

Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Lifetime Research Award

September 2, 2016

By Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.

I am pleased to announce Dr. James R. Gavin III is the recipient of the 2016 Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Lifetime Research Award. This research award recognizes a lifelong dedication to the true science of medicine as a master clinician, incomparable researcher and teacher with the unique skills attributed to my vision.

Dr. Gavin is Clinical Professor of Medicine at both Emory University and Indiana University School of Medicine. He was president of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta from 2002-2004. He served as senior scientific officer at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) from 1991-2002 and director of the HHMI-National Institutes of Health Research Scholars Program from 2000-2002. After graduating from Livingstone College in North Carolina in 1966 with a degree in chemistry, he earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Emory University in 1970 and his M.D. from Duke University School of Medicine in 1975.

Dr. Gavin represents the quintessential scientist, educator, trailblazer, and type of leader most people aspire to become. On behalf of the Board of Directors of the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute, I thank Dr. Gavin for his many efforts and resulting accomplishments.

The Meritorious Achievement Award

By Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.

The Meritorious Achievement Award

On July 30, I was honored to be named the recipient of the Meritorious Achievement Award during the opening awards ceremony of the National Medical Association’s 2016 Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly in Los Angeles.

This achievement award is given for noted national and international achievement and prominence. In addition, this award recognizes individuals of national and international stature whose efforts significantly benefit health and medicine.

My sincere and humble thanks to the NMA for granting me this notable honor.

Annual Laurencin Labs Dinner

July 28, 2016

By Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.

Laurencin Labs Annual Dinner 2016 On Friday, July 22, the Institute for Regenerative Engineering held our 29th Annual Laurencin Labs dinner at the Hartford Golf Club in West Hartford. Over 60 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members attended. Also attending were the local high-school and college students who are spending part of their summers in the lab. The evening celebrated the outstanding research conducted in our laboratory during 2016 and included a discussion of the work planned for 2017.

Thank you to those who helped make this the dinner meeting so successful.

Lakshmi Nair Edits Book on Injectable Hydrogels

I am pleased to announce IRE faculty member Lakshmi Nair recently served as editor of a new book, Injectable Hydrogels for Regenerative Engineering.

Regenerative engineering, with its ability to foster novel therapeutic techniques and strategies, has emerged as the most versatile and innovative technology of the 21st century. The past few years have seen significant research interest in the design, preparation, and application of injectable hydrogels as advanced biomaterials for cell and factor therapy. This book is timely, providing a state-of-the-art summary of the status of injectable hydrogels in regenerative engineering. The collection of ten chapters written by experts in their fields presents an excellent overview of the subject for a wide audience. In my opinion, this book will be extremely useful as a reference source for all those working in the area of biomaterials, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and drug delivery.

Convergence Report Release

July 21, 2016

By Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.

It was a great pleasure to appear as a member of the study panel at the Convergence Report Release Event in Washington D.C. on June 24. The report, “Convergence: The Future of Health”, draws on insights from several dozen expert participants at two workshops, as well as containing input from scientists and researchers from academia, industry, and government. Their efforts have produced a wide range of recommendations for advancing convergence research. The report outlines three major disease areas — brain disorders, infectious diseases and immunology, and cancer — and promises convergence-based approaches to tackling them. It also presents case studies of four emerging technology categories: advanced imaging in the body, nanotechnology for drug and therapy delivery, regenerative engineering, and big data and health information technology. The report was co-chaired by Tyler Jacks, the David H. Koch Professor of Biology and director of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research; Susan Hockfield, neuroscientist and president emerita of MIT; and Phillip Sharp, Institute Professor at MIT and Nobel Laureate.

The panel discussion is online, please watch the video.

Induction Ceremony for the Chinese Academy of Engineering

June 14, 2016

By Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.

On June 1, 2016, I had the honor of being inducted as an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).

I was among a small number of new foreign members elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and it was a great pleasure to meet new colleagues and associates there.

A Chinese Academy of Engineering academician title signifies the highest Chinese academic achievement level in Engineering and Technology and a lifelong honor. It's a true honor for me to be elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering. I am deeply grateful to my mentors, colleagues, fellows, students, and friends who have inspired me through my career. I look forward to continue to work closely with the engineering community in China.