Lectures

Kavli Distinguished Lectureship in Materials Science

I was honored to present the 2016 Fred Kavli Distinguished Lectureship in Materials Science and plenary speech at the Material Research Society (MRS) meeting in Phoenix, AZ. My talk, “Regenerative Engineering—Convergence Built Upon Materials Science,” highlighted the importance of convergence research as illustrated by some of our latest research on the HEAL Project. Many thanks to the MRS for inviting me to speak. I also want to thank the Kavli Foundation for supporting the lectureship.

During the meeting, I also gave a brief interview with MRS TV, below:

Honored to Speak at Carnegie Mellon University

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!

Professor Edward Botchwey Inaugurates the HEAL Project Seminar Series

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.

BME Solutions for Health Disparities

Dr. Cato Laurencin speaks at the 25th Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting in Tampa, FL.On October 8, I had the great honor to co-chair a special session with Dr. Gilda Barabino for the 25th Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting in Tampa, FL. The session was entitled “Biomedical Engineering Technology for the Elimination of Health Disparities.”  The goal of this session was exploring the roles of various biomedical engineering technologies for use in eliminating health disparities. Topics included the use of technologies for addressing musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis, new emerging technologies involving mobile health (mhealth) which present possibilities for treatment of diabetes and hypertension. The session also addressed the use of biomedical technologies in developing countries, with an eye toward the adaptation of technologies to address issues here in the U.S. The 2015 BME Innovation and Career Development Travel Award winners were also announced at the session.

2015 John and Valerie Rowe Scholars Visiting Lecture

Dr. Cato Laurencin at the John and Valerie Rowe Scholars Visiting Lecture Series at UConn

This year, I was honored to give a lecture for the John and Valerie Rowe Scholars Visiting Lecture Series at the University of Connecticut. My talk, “Regenerative Engineering: The Theory and Practice of a Next Generation Field,” was held April 22 at the Student Union Theatre on the Storrs campus. The object of my lecture is to highlight the increasing convergence between engineering and medicine. The John and Valerie Rowe Scholars Visiting Lecture Series is designed to bring distinguished health professionals, scholars, and researchers to the Storrs campus annually to speak about critical topics in health care. The lecture series is funded through an endowment to the UConn by the Rowe Family Foundation and is part of the John and Valerie Rowe Health Professions Scholars Program. This program provides opportunities to students from backgrounds underrepresented in the health fields. I hope every Rowe scholar takes advantage of everything the program has to offer. I also want to thank the program organizers and UConn for inviting me to participate in this wonderful event.

 

Group photo from the John and Valerie Rowe Scholars Visiting Lecture Series at UConn

30th Annual Martin Luther King Jr./Albert Owens Scholarship Breakfast

On January 19, I served as the keynote speaker for the 30th Annual Martin Luther King Jr./Albert Owens Scholarship Breakfast at Lincoln Middle School in Meriden, CT. My speech highlighted the great work and progress made from the dawn of the civil right movement to the present day. In citing the disproportionate incarceration rates of black men and the prevalence of significant health disparities affecting black children, women and men, I also emphasized that work needs to continue to achieve Dr. King’s vision.

For 30 years, the Martin Luther King Jr./Albert Owens Scholarship Fund has honored the memory of not only Martin Luther King Jr., but Meriden’s own Albert Owens, a civic and union leader, who served as the city’s first human rights director. The breakfast has raised over $100,000 for scholarships which help local students achieve their dreams of college degrees.

Meriden resident Rhudean S. Raye founded the Martin Luther King Jr./Albert Owens Scholarship Breakfast and has run it for the entirety of its existence. Ms. Raye attended college at the Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, NC, received her nurse’s training at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, and came to Meriden in the 1950s. While working as a nurse at the Meriden-Wallingford Hospital, she obtained her certification to become an elementary teacher. As one of Meriden’s first black teachers, she taught first and second grade at the Nathan Hale School for 32 years.