On November 7, Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway PT, visited UConn for the first time. He delivered the Lawrence G. Raisz, M.D. Lectureship, an event hosted by the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS) and UConn School of Engineering in the Student Union of the Storrs campus. Over 300 people, including students, faculty, researchers, public officials and community-based organizations attended. In his keynote entitled “Innovation: Past, Present and Future”, Dean urged the young people present to keep following their dreams and shared an overview of projects he and his engineers at DEKA Research have been working on. He also discussed FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a program for students to get them interested in science, technology, and engineering he and his partners started in 1989 and continue supporting today.

In addition to the Segway, Dean invented the iBOT all-terrain wheelchair as well as several biomedical devices. He has also developed a water purification system he hopes will help improve living standards in developing countries He has received the U.S. Medal of Technology and the ASME Medal, the American Society of Mechanical Engineer’s highest honor. Dean holds more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents.

As the CEO of CICATS, I thank everyone at CICATS for their hard work organizing Dean’s visit over the past months. I also thank the School of Engineering at UConn Storrs for co-hosting this event.

I am honored to be named a 2014 MRS Fellow. The formal induction ceremony took place in San Francisco last week. I was part of a 22-member group elected as fellows, and it was a great pleasure to meet these new colleagues. This fellowship honors MRS members who are notable for their distinguished accomplishments and their outstanding contributions to the advancement of materials research worldwide. The citation for my fellowship award cites “seminal contributions to the use of advanced polymer materials in the medical field and in regenerative medicine.” I thank the Materials Research Society for including me in this group and congratulate the other recipients who share this honor with me.

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Roshan James recently joined the Institute for Regenerative Engineering as a postdoctoral fellow. His current research focuses on the design and fabrication of novel biomaterials for musculoskeletal tissue engineering. His research interests include biomaterials, integrated tissues, and regenerative engineering.

Dr. James received his bachelor degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in India, and completed his doctoral thesis under my mentorship at the University of Virginia (UVa) in 2012. His Ph.D. thesis focused on the design of mechanically competent polyester-based matrices for tendon tissue regeneration. In addition, he worked on developing a growth factor delivery system that provided bioactive physiologically relevant doses to modulate cellular responses in adipose stromal cells along the tendonogenic lineage.

Dr. James received a number of awards from UVa where he presented at university-wide research competitions. In, 2012, he was a finalist in the UVa Presidential Research Competition. In addition, he was recently selected as a New Investigator Recognition Awards (NIRA) finalist at the 2013 Orthopaedic Research Society Conference in San Antonio. His talk was entitled ‘Combined Treatment of a Tendon Gap with a Biomimetic Electrospun Scaffold, Stromal Cells and GDF5,’ and his presentation focused on in vivo characterization of biodegradable biomaterials designed to mimic the structure of the tendon extracellular matrix.

It is worth noting that Dr. James has made a significant impact on tendon tissue engineering. He has successfully developed a novel tubular scaffold system to regenerate a large gap defect in tendon tissue due to severe injuries. The scaffold system can also deliver adipose stromal cells and growth factors that facilitate the regenerative process resulting in new tendon tissue formation.

Everyone in the Institute for Regenerative Engineering welcomes Roshan and looks forward to working with him here at UConn.

I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Kevin Wai Hong Lo, a postdoctoral fellow in our lab, has been appointed as Assistant Professor in the Institute for Regenerative Engineering. Dr. Lo will also have a faculty appointment in the Department of Medicine. After earning his B.S., M.Phil., and Ph.D. from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Dr. Lo joined Laurencin Labs. Over time, he has become an extremely accomplished researcher with interests which include drug delivery, tissue engineering, and bone cell signaling. Speaking for all the Institute faculty, we are excited to have him join us, and we look forward to working with our newest faculty colleague.

As many of you know, I am very proud of my African-American heritage, especially the successes and successful struggles of African-American people in America. On February 14th, I was very fortunate to be interviewed by Fox 61 as part of its series, “Black History is Everyone’s History”, celebrating African-American achievements in Connecticut. During the interview, I shared the story of the success and achievements of our Institute for Regenerative Engineering.

While excited about our success, clearly the story would not be possible except for the sacrifices of many, many African-Americans who toiled for generations to bring me and others “to the place where our fathers sighed” (to quote “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Negro National Anthem). We must always be mindful of that, and be mindful of our obligations to reach back and move forward the generations that follow us.

Early this year, I had the honor of being elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

The formal induction ceremony recently took place in Washington DC. I was among a group of 68 new members elected to the NAE and it was a great pleasure to meet new colleagues and associates there.

Election to the NAE is among the nation’s highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. It’s a true honor for me to be elected to the NAE and I am deeply grateful to my mentors, colleagues, students, fellows, and patients who have inspired me through my career.

I was recently honored and humbled to be elected to the African Academy of Sciences, a prestigious organization that honors science and technology leaders in Africa and throughout the world, and promotes science-led development in the continent.

I am now one of three Americans who are Fellows of the Academy. As someone of African descent, this is particularly meaningful for me, especially in light of the long and proud tradition of science in Africa.

Through the years, I have served as a visiting professor in centers in Africa and have worked as part of a global team of African academic and industrial scientists from the Diaspora in creating Institutes of Science and Technology in Africa, in conjunction with the Nelson Mandela Institution.

I strongly support global health initiatives and look forward to working with our faculty at the UConn Health Center to strengthen our existing programs that introduce medical and dental students to vital global health issues. Seeing healthcare through a different perspective is an irreplaceable learning experience – and can deeply affect one’s career goals.

To the African Academy of Sciences, I send my sincere gratitude. This is a true honor for me.

I am delighted to announce that the state’s Office of Health Care Access (OHCA) today approved the Certificate of Need application that was filed jointly by the UConn Health Center and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in early November.

This is a significant step forward in our journey to add more medical-surgical beds to the UConn Health Center’s footprint and to continue to improve care for some of our most vulnerable patients.

In particular, the CON allows for the license transfer of UConn’s 40 NICU and Special Care beds to Connecticut Children’s and the addition of 10 more medical surgical beds to the UConn Health Center’s license. All totaled, this will allow the UConn Health Center to increase its number of adult medical-surgical beds by 50.

This is a key component of the renewal plans for John Dempsey Hospital, and it will go far to support the UConn Health Center’s long-term financial health. The regionalization of NICU services, as you may recall, is an important element of the new UConn Health Network.

Specifically for the NICU, today’s decision means that specialized neonatal care will continue to be offered on the UConn Health Center campus. The difference is that moving forward the unit will become part of Connecticut Children’s. Nurses and other staff in the unit at the UConn Health Center will remain UConn employees and Connecticut Children’s will lease space and contract for services.

With today’s decision, we will work toward a February 1, 2011, “go live” date with a celebration and ribbon cutting to follow shortly after.

To all who made today’s milestone a reality, particularly Governor M. Jodi Rell and the Connecticut General Assembly, I offer my deepest thanks. This is a wonderful addition to the holiday season!

Sincerely,

Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President for Health Affairs
Dean, UConn School of Medicine