Awards

Dr. Cato T. Laurencin to Receive Augustus White Founders Award

The J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society (JRGOS) has selected Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., to be the first recipient of the Augustus A. White III Founders Award. The award ceremony will be held during the 2024 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons meeting in San Francisco, CA. The JRGOS Augustus White Founders Award “recognizes the recipient’s exceptional contributions to advancing culturally sensitive musculoskeletal care while promoting diversity within Orthopaedics and exemplifying an unswerving commitment to excellence in the field.”

Read more on UConn Today.

Dr. Cato T. Laurencin at the IPOEF Awards Celebration

On December 6th, Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor at the University of Connecticut, was named Inventor of the Year for 2023 at the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation (IPOEF) Awards Celebration. Dr. Laurencin is being honored for his pioneering contributions in the field of Regenerative Engineering which have led to the use of polymeric biomaterials in treating musculoskeletal conditions. Known as a leader in his field, Dr. Laurencin has also previously received the Priestly Medal for Chemistry, the Von Hippel Award for Materials Science, and the Jay Bailey Award for Biological Engineering.

The IPOEF Awards Celebration recognizes accomplishments in the fields of intellectual property (IP), innovation, and creativity and brings together IP professionals, judges, government officials, representatives from Capitol Hill, and attendees from companies and law firms around the world. The celebration honored individuals among four categories:

  1. Inventor of the Year: Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, University Professor, University of Connecticut
    The Inventor of the Year Award recognizes the world’s most outstanding recent inventors and how they benefit the nation’s economy and quality of life. Dr. Laurencin is being honored as the 50th Inventor of the Year for his pioneering contributions in the field of Regenerative Engineering. Dr. Laurencin has distinguished himself from the current strategies to address musculoskeletal conditions by establishing the field of regenerative engineering to develop ways for people to regrow injured tissue and bone. He says “I am honored to receive this award. The field of Regenerative Engineering I founded has already produced impressive new technologies that have directly benefited people. Our work continues in complex tissue regeneration with the hope of creating even more breakthrough discoveries.”
  2. Executive of the Year: Sandra Leung, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Bristol Myers Squibb
    The Executive of the Year Award is given to an individual for their commitment to the creation, promotion, and protection of intellectual property. Newly appointed CEO Dr. Christopher Boerner commented on Ms. Leung receiving the award. “What really distinguishes Sandy is her focus on integrity, being a true partner to the business and her dedication to our mission at BMS to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. This award underscores the critical role of IP in ensuring that BMS and the biopharmaceutical industry can continue to bring new medicines to patients. Sandy knows that protecting IP is critical to BMS and our industry overall, and she demonstrates this with her actions.”
  3. IP Champion: Irwin Jacobs, Cofounder and CEO Emeritus, Qualcomm
    The IP Champion Award recognizes extraordinary leadership in advocating for the value of IP to stimulate the progress of innovation. Dr. Jacobs founded Qualcomm in 1985 with six others and developed the technology underlying the rapid worldwide expansion of cell phone usage for voice and internet access. As CEO through 2005 and Chairman through 2009, he led the growth from startup to Fortune 500 Company, now with over 50,000 employees worldwide and more than 140,000 issued and pending patents. Dr. Jacobs noted that Qualcomm’s growth was due to the ability to innovate, patent their innovations and license them.
  4. Inspiration Award: Audrey Larson, Student, University of Connecticut
    The Inspiration Award recognizes individuals who have made an impact by promoting and championing IP rights for and on behalf of members of underrepresented communities. Audrey is only a junior at UConn and received two patents before she graduated high school. She says that she is inspired by frustration or anxieties that she has about different world issues and invention and innovation has been a positive way for her to channel those feelings into action. One of her many accomplishments includes launching an online inventors club to encourage students, particularly those isolated and underrepresented in their communities, to learn about innovation and propel their IP efforts forward.

Dr. Laurencin and Dr. Audrey Larson together, holding Laurencin's Inventor of the Year Award

Dr. Laurencin applauds three Regenerative Engineering Scientists honored by The Biomedical Engineering Society

In the month of October, three scientists in the field of regenerative engineering will be receiving awards from the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). The winners are, Guillermo Ameer, Tejal Desai, and Jian Yang. Each winner will give a lecture at the 2023 BMES Annual Meeting in Seattle.

“I congratulate these three outstanding engineer/scientists who have made extraordinary contributions to Regenerative Engineering. It is wonderful to see their efforts recognized by the Biomedical Engineering Society and the biomedical community in general.,” said Dr. Cato Laurencin, CEO of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering at UConn, and Founder of the Regenerative Engineering Society.

Dr. Guillermo Ameer is the Director of the Center for Advanced Regenerative Engineering (CARE) at Northwestern University where he is the Daniel Hale Williams professor of Biomedical Engineering and Surgery at Northwestern University. He will be receiving the BMES Athanasiou Medal of Excellence in Translational Bioengineering Award (the Athanasiou Medal). This award recognizes achievements of an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of biomedical engineering with particular focus on translation.

Dr. Tejal Desai is the Sorensen Family Dean of Engineering Brown University. She will be receiving the Robert A. Pritzker Distinguished Lecture Award. This is the highest honor of the American Chemical Society. She is an accomplished biomedical engineer and academic leader who co-organized a Regenerative Engineering Society Rockstars Meeting.

Dr. Jian Yang is a Chair Professor in Biomaterials and Regenerative Engineering, and the chair of Biomedical Engineering Program at the Westlake University. He will be receiving the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Healthcare Innovation Award. This award recognizes achievements of an individual who is integrally involved in the development of a biomedical device, diagnostic test/device, or combination device drug/device in industry.

 

Best Materials Science Scientists

The 1st edition of Research.com ranking of the best scientists in the arena of materials science is based on data consolidated from various data sources, including data sources including OpenAlex and CrossRef. The bibliometric data for estimating the citation-based metrics were gathered on December 6th, 2021.

Position in the ranking is based on a scientist’s D- index (Discipline H- index), which only includes papers and citation values for an examined discipline.

 

Dr. Cato Laurencin Receives Shu Chien Achievement Award

UConn Professor Dr. Cato T. Laurencin was honored last week at the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE)  conference. He was awarded the Shu Chien Achievement Award, the most prestigious honor bestowed by the BMES Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) Group. The award recognizes an individual who has made exceptional contributions to the cellular and molecular bioengineering field, and someone who has been a great mentor to others.

Read the full article here: https://today.uconn.edu/2023/01/dr-cato-laurencin-receives-shu-chien-achievement-award/

 

Erick Orozco Morato awarded at the 2022 International Conference of BIO-Remedi

At the 2022 International Conference on Biomaterials, Regenerative Medicine and Devices (BIO-Remedi), Erick Orozco Morato was awarded with a certificate for Best Oral Presentation for his abstract titled:  Intra-articular Delivery of Curcumin and Ropivacaine for Managing Osteoarthritic Pain. The meeting was held in December 2022 at IIT Guwahati, India.

 

Dr. Cato T. Laurencin receives the Founders’ Award

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers Foundation (AIChE) and the AIChE Regenerative Engineering Society has established an award in honor of the society’s founder. The Cato T. Laurencin, Regenerative Engineering Founders’ Award, will recognize the accomplishments of individuals who have demonstrated leadership in the science and practice of convergence research as applied to regenerative engineering — a field pioneered by Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, the RE Society’s Founder. He received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Founder’s Award this year at the AICHE annual meeting on November 14. The inaugural award will be presented in 2023 at the Regenerative Engineering Society’s Annual Meeting.

The award consists of a struck medal and an honorarium.

Laurencin, who is internationally renowned for his work in biomaterials, stem cell science, nanotechnology, drug delivery systems, as well the new field of regenerative engineering, serves as the chief executive officer of the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering Laurencin is the first surgeon in history to be elected to all four national academies: the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors. He is the first person in history to receive the oldest/highest award of the National Academy of Medicine (the Walsh McDermott Medal) and the oldest/highest award of the National Academy of Engineering (the Simon Ramo Founder’s Award). In science, he received the Philip Hauge Abelson Prize given “for signal contributions to the advancement of science in the United States.

The field of regenerative engineering involves the convergence of advanced materials sciences, stem cell science, physics, developmental biology, and clinical translation to regenerate complex tissues and organ systems. The Cato T. Laurencin Regenerative Engineering Society Founders’ Award will be presented to distinguished researchers, innovators, mentors, and teachers who have furthered the goals of this field. Nominations for the inaugural prize are due on April 15, 2023.

 

Stephanie Chinwo, YIIP Scholar, received the 2022 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Young Investigator Award

Stephanie Chinwo received the 2022 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) Young Investigator Award for her abstract presentation Molecular Analysis of AMBRA1 as a Candidate Tumor Suppressor in Sporadic Parathyroid Adenomas. She accepted a commemorative plaque and honorarium during an ASMBR President’s Reception at the Annual Meeting held in September 2022 at Austin TX. ASBMR is a professional, scientific and medical society established to bring together clinical and experimental scientists who are involved in the study of bone and mineral metabolism.

 

Dr. Ezra Griffith, awarded at NMA meeting

Dr. Ezra Griffith of Yale University was honored with the Cato T. Laurencin M.D., Ph.D. Lifetime Research Award at the opening ceremonies of the 2022 National Medical Association (NMA)  national meeting.

This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated more than 20 years of consistent, long-lasting contributions to benefit African Americans and to reduce health disparities through recognized research and inquiry. The individual may be a physician, a career researcher or a distinguished educator who has enhanced the field of research and made it possible for young researchers to be successful.

Cato T. Laurencin has dedicated his life to excellence in research, teaching, surgery, mentoring, and community service. Dr. Laurencin has had a prolific career in science, but also in service to his community and certainly in service to the NMA.

Read the full article here:EG-Cato-T-Laurencin-MD-PhD-lifetime-research-award-Press Release (002)