Honored to Speak at Carnegie Mellon University

March 18, 2016

On March 1st, it was a privilege to speak at Carnegie Mellon University as part of the Biomedical Engineering Seminar Series. My talk, “Regenerative Engineering: The Future of Tissue Regeneration,” highlighted the importance of convergence research as illustrated by some of our latest work on the HEAL Project. I also discussed the important role of biomaterials in regenerative engineering. I am so grateful to both the Biomedical Engineering department and the university for inviting me to speak. Thanks to Kathy Samuels who coordinated my visit and to all in attendance!

The 100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut 2015

It was truly an honor to have been recognized by the NAACP, an organization that has been at the forefront of the fight for equality in our country. The Connecticut chapter of the NAACP has been honoring the state’s most influential blacks since 2009. The ceremony was held in Stamford during the 50th NAACP State. The event’s keynote speaker was U.S. Congressman Elijah Cummings. I am honored to be named on a list alongside so many distinguished and accomplished men and women. I will continue working to make a difference in the lives of African Americans in the areas of education, health disparities, and other issues.

Dr. Lakshmi Nair Receives New Grant Award

March 14, 2016

Congratulations to Dr. Nair of the Institute for Regenerative Engineering. In collaboration with Dr. Regina Landesberg of the Department of Craniofacial Sciences at UConn Health, she has received one of seven Research and Education Funding awards from the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation. The Foundation supports novel research on maxillofacial surgery. Dr. Nair and Dr. Landesberg’s project focuses on the development of injectable platelet rich plasma delivery systems for craniofacial tissue regeneration. Congratulations to both of them on funding for this exciting project.

Prism

March 11, 2016

I am very honored to have been featured in “Grow Your Own” in the December 2015 issue of Prism magazine. I had the pleasure of discussing the HEAL Project with Prism’s team. Please check out the article at http://www.asee-prism.org/up-close-dec-3/.

Prism is the American Society for Engineering Education’s award-winning publication. The popular magazine covers engineering in higher education throughout the United States. The magazine is read reaches engineering faculty members, administrators, and students in all disciplines of engineering. Thank you to Mary Lord, the deputy editor of Prism as well as Prism’s editorial team for featuring me.

Professor Edward Botchwey Inaugurates the HEAL Project Seminar Series

March 9, 2016

On February 18, we were honored to have Edward Botchwey, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech, as the first speaker in the HEAL Seminar Series. Dr. Botchwey delivered a talk entitled “Engineering Immunologically Smart Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine.”

Ed was one of my graduate students at Drexel who later moved with me to the University of Virginia. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. After completing a United Negro College Fund/Merck sponsored postdoctoral fellowship at the Wistar Institute, he became an associate professor in the both biomedical engineering and orthopaedic surgery at the University of Virginia. In 2009, Ed was selected by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to receive the 2009 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). It is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

The Botchwey Laboratory at Georgia Tech takes a multidisciplinary approach for the improvement of tissue engineering therapies through study of microvascular remodeling, inflammation resolution, and host stem cells.

We look forward to bringing other innovative research leaders to speak as part of this seminar series here at UConn Health.

CICATS Celebrates Excellence in Research

February 16, 2016

CICATS Celebrates Excellence in Research

CICATS Celebrates Excellence in Research Last month, the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS) held its first annual “Celebration of Excellence in Research” for its 17 Core Interest Groups (CIGs).

CIGs were developed to promote collaborative, transdisciplinary research. The CIG concept clearly accommodates the goal of disease-agnostic research, allowing the spontaneous formation of new research enterprises. Investigators from all partnering institutions are encouraged to be a part of CIGs. Current CIG research activities focus on a range of basic, clinical, and translational initiatives on: aging, biomedical engineering, multidisciplinary obesity research, cancer prevention, mental health, cardiovascular diseases, drug discovery, correctional health research, e-health and m-health technologies, injury prevention, stroke and cerebrovascular diseases, occupational safety and health, personalized immunotherapy, musculoskeletal research, sickle cell disease, women’s cancer, and health disparities.

The event celebrated and showcased the work and success of each CIGs, providing an opportunity for faculty and community-based organizations to network for collaborative research projects. It also included brief overviews of research project by CIG researchers and poster displays.

This was a very happy occasion to celebrate our researchers and the remarkable growth they have achieved thus far and will continue to achieve. These programs would not have been possible and successful without the support of our faculty, partners, affiliates, administrators and most importantly, the Connecticut Legislative Black and Puerto Rican Caucus.

The HEAL Project Discussion on “The Stan Simpson Show”

Dr. Cato Laurencin and Stan Simpson Last month, Stan Simpson, host of “The Stan Simpson Show” on Fox CT, invited me to be a guest on his show for the second time. During the interview, I explained our current research initiative named “Hartford Engineering A Limb” (HEAL) at the Institute for Regenerative Engineering. The project’s goal is to regenerate a human knee in seven years and a whole limb in fifteen. The field of regenerative engineering is still in its infancy, and through the HEAL project, we are hoping to utilize this new approach to bring life-changing breakthroughs to patients. The interview can be seen on the web, please visit the following link:

http://fox61.com/2016/01/16/the-stan-simpson-show-more-on-uconns-heal-project/

2016 Founders Award

January 25, 2016

I am deeply honored and humbled to have been selected for the 2016 Founders Award from the Society For Biomaterials (SFB). The Founders Award is SFB’s highest award, and the selection is based on long-term, landmark contributions to the discipline of biomaterials. I will be honored at the 2016 World Biomaterials Congress in Montreal, Canada on May 18. I thank the SFB and look forward to advancing the discipline with new initiatives including the HEAL Project – our newly launched grand research challenge with the goals of engineering a human knee in seven years and an entire limb within 15 years. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Founders Award selection committee and the chair of SFB, Dr. Thomas Webster.

Advisory Committee to the Director, NIH

January 22, 2016

Last month, I was attending the 111th meeting of the Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. This was my last ACD meeting since I was elected as a member of ACD in 2013. In an effort to ensure that NIH senior management is getting the most rigorous and experienced guidance, the NIH director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., created the ACD made up of academic and health care industry leaders. As a committee member, my duty was to make recommendations concerning program development, resource allocation, NIH administrative regulation and policy, and other specific or general aspects of NIH policy. The committee members also review and make recommendations on applications for grants and cooperative agreements for research and training for projects that show promise of making valuable contributions to human knowledge. It was truly an honor to serve as a member of the ACD. It has been a great pleasure working with Dr. Collins and all members of ACD.

Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., with NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.

Speaking at the National Medical Association Local Society in Louisiana

January 20, 2016

Last year November, it was a privilege and honor to speak to the Dr. Joseph Henry Tyler Jr. Society of the National Medical Association in Lafayette, Louisiana. I was selected as a National Medical Association (NMA) Living Legend by the group. During this trip, I also spoke to a large number of Lafayette high school students. My message to the students centered on my own story: the good effects of role models and what traits encourage success. The traits I emphasize are: being wise, hard working, being a good person and showing loyalty, being courageous, and being resilient.