The first of its kind in the nation, Pre-K Junior Faculty Career Development Award Program is designed to equip junior faculty with the skills and knowledge to successfully apply for an NIH K Award and to become leaders in clinical and translational science. The program’s long-term goal is to strengthen the pipeline of researchers pursuing a K Award and to foster a culture that supports this objective.

“This program has proved to be tremendously effective. It was the first of its kind in the nation and it has helped dozens of people cultivate their careers by helping them obtain NIH K Awards,” said Dr. Cato T. Laurencin.

The success of the program is evident in the more than $114 million in grants that have been garnered by scholars who have participated since the program’s inception. Now in its sixth cycle, the program is co-directed by Lisa Barry, Ph.D., Bin Feng, Ph.D., and Mark Litt, Ph.D.

“The Department of Psychiatry has been fortunate to have several faculty accepted into the pre-K program since it began, and each faculty member has gone on to receive NIH Career Development and/or other grant funding, said David Steffens, M.D., MHS, chair of UConn Psychiatry. “It’s really an outstanding testament to the strength and design of the pre-K program. Program leaders provide guidance on the preparation of a K Award for career development and hold participants to a clear timeline for submitting their grants. Participants are supported by institutional and department funding, and I see it as a great investment in promising clinical scientists.”

Most recently, Jacob Earp, Ph.D., and Cutter Lindbergh, Ph.D., received The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering Pre-K Junior Faculty Career Development Award. Lindbergh and Earp were in the fifth cohort (2022-2024) of the program. Additionally, Earp and Lindbergh received support from the UConn Pepper Center.

Jacob Earp, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut Storrs Campus. His research primarily focuses on improving health, function, and physical performance by improving muscle quality (function relative to size) and tendon function for people across the lifespan.

Cutter Lindbergh, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry at UConn School of Medicine. Lindbergh’s research has focused on characterizing changes in cognitive functioning and day-to-day functioning associated with typical aging and dementia in older adults.

“The Pre-K Program was essential to the success of my K23 application. I feel so fortunate to have been a participant in the program. This K Award would not have been possible without the protected time and outstanding mentorship and guidance provided by the Pre-K directors,” said Lindbergh.

Earp echoed the sentiments and added, “We wouldn’t have gotten these awards without the Pre-K program and the skills we’ve gained will translate to more NIH applications in the future.”

This summer, representatives from The Cato. T. Laurencin Institute of Regenerative Engineering’s and YIIP (Young Innovator Investigator Program) students at UConn conducted educational sessions for children (ages 6 to 9) at Hartford’s Breakthrough Magnet School North.

YIIP is a unique, intensive two-year program at The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering that helps inspire and develop the next generation of innovative scientists by providing academic training to individuals dedicated to pursuing careers as scientists and scholars in biological and biomedical sciences.

The outreach program at Breakthrough Magnet School North included a PowerPoint presentation and hands-on activities presented by YIIP scholars Caleb Womack and Srivaibhav Gudipudi. They talked to the children about sugar content in their snacks and how it can affect their health. Also participating in the event from UConn’s Cato T. Laurencin Institute were Rohithkumar Kotha, MBBS, MPH, Lisbeth Margarita Lucas-Moran, Sneha Rath, and Arianna Cedeno. The program began with a few questions to assess the children’s knowledge of sugar, followed by an age-appropriate PowerPoint presentation, which included animations and a visual sugar chart, helping them learn why too much sugar can harm teeth. Then, in an interactive game called “Tooth-Friendly or Not,” the children were shown pictures of snacks and asked to run to one side of the room if the snack was “tooth friendly” (e.g., fruits, vegetables) or run to the other side if it was “tooth unfriendly” (soda, candy).

The children also participated in a hands-on activity, in which they scooped six teaspoons of sugar into a plastic bag to show the recommended daily limit of sugar intake. Then, they were shown pictures of various snacks and asked to pick their favorite snack. The YIIP students helped the children read the nutrition label and estimate the number of teaspoons of sugar in their favorite snack, followed by measuring that amount of sugar into a second bag. When comparing, the children were surprised to discover how much sugar was in just one serving of their favorite snack, with most of the “snack” sugar bags exceeding the “daily limit” sugar bag.

This outreach event highlights the importance of health education in children from minority communities to help them make healthier choices. By conducting engaging, interactive presentations on healthy eating with young children of underserved populations, JUMP is creating early awareness in communities in the hopes of having a lifelong impact. This inclusive and community-centered program is a prime example of Dr. Cato. T Laurencin’s vision for public health outreach. The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering has a well-established collaborative relationship with the Urban League of Greater Hartford to reduce food insecurity throughout the city of Hartford. Laurencin received the Community Service Award from the Urban League of Greater Hartford. He has been honored by the Hartford Public School System and the Connecticut State Legislature for his work in the community and has been recognized as a Connecticut Health Care Hero by Connecticut Magazine.

The program was beneficial not only for the Breakthrough Magnet School children, but for the YIIP scholars as well. “Educating the next generation is one of the most meaningful things we can do,” said Caleb Womack, YIIP Scholar. “Sharing with these Hartford Public Schools six-year-olds why healthy eating is important and helping them understand why sugar knowledge matters was a nice reminder of how powerful early learning can be.”

AIChE’s Regenerative Engineering Society (RES) has chosen Nicholas A. Peppas as the recipient of its Cato T. Laurencin Regenerative Engineering Society Founder’s Award for 2025. Peppas holds multiple prestigious positions at The University of Texas at Austin, including the Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering, Professorships in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, and the Pediatrics and Surgery Departments of the Dell Medical School, and Director of the Institute for Biomaterials, Drug Delivery, and Regenerative Medicine.

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The 2025 Cato T. Laurencin Lifetime Research Award was bestowed upon Dr. Paula A. Johnson at the opening ceremonies of the National Medical Association annual meeting. The award, named in honor of Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin of the University of Connecticut, was given by Dr. Laurencin. It is considered one of the highest honors of the W. Montague Cobb/National Medical Association Health Institute and the National Medical Association.

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The Fred Kavli Innovations in Chemistry Keynote Lecturer at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2025 conference in Washington, D.C. was delivered by Dr. Cato T. Laurencin of UConn.

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Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, PhD, has been named the winner of the 2025 Blaise Pascal Medal in Materials Science from the European Academy of Sciences (EURASC) for his exceptional contributions to the field.

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Sir Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., K.C.S.L, was the designated honored guest at the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) President’s Circle Reception in Washington, DC.

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Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, Ph.D., K.C.S.L, has received a 2025 Springer Nature Editor of Distinction Award. The award is given to exceptional editors who have demonstrated commitment to upholding scientific accuracy and advancing discovery.

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