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UConn Health’s Dr. Gualberto Ruaño Appointed Chair of CASE’s Broadening Participation, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. For three decades Dr. Gualberto Ruaño has been an innovator in biotechnology and a pioneer in personalized medicine.
Read the full article here: https://today.uconn.edu/2023/02/uconn-healths-dr-gualberto-ruano-appointed-chair-of-cases-broadening-participation-equity-and-inclusion-committee/
This January UConn’s Dr. Cato T. Laurencin visited St. Lucia where he bestowed the first struck medal Cato T. Laurencin Regenerative Engineering Founder’s Award to St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre in honorary recognition of his support of regenerative engineering in the country.
The University of Connecticut Professor Cato T. Laurencin, CEO of the Connecticut Convergence Institute at UConn Health, met with the Prime Minister of St. Lucia during a January 18- 22 trip to the country.
Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, CEO of the Connecticut Convergence Institute met with officials again in St. Lucia to finalize the signing of the charter for the JUMP program. This partnership with Saint Lucia has launched ‘UConn JUMP Saint Lucia’ to educate Saint Lucian communities. This will provide more control over their food system, and opportunities for families and youth to establish new eating habits. This initiative will improve the quality of life for the Saint Lucian population.
Based on the community health promotion experiences and successes in the UConn JUMP program in the United States, Dr. Laurencin advised a plan to partner with various community organizations and Sir Arthur Community College.
Laurencin also had the honor of giving the Honorable Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of St. Lucia a Cato T. Laurencin Founders’ Award medal. The award recognizes individuals in the field that have demonstrated leadership in the science and practice of convergence research as applied to regenerative engineering and medicine. The Prime Minister received this as a gift for contributing his help to regenerative engineering.
Read the full article here: https://today.uconn.edu/2023/01/dr-cato-t-laurencin-meets-with-st-lucia-prime-minister-to-review-progress-of-uconn-st-lucia-cooperation-agreement/
The Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA), an initiative of the National Science Foundation, recently published a report identifying research priorities found at the intersection of biology and engineering. The report entitled “8 Impossible Things” boldly presents challenges to humankind that may be solved through engineering combined with biology.
Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., University Professor, Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science, and Chemical Engineering at UConn, co-lead the project with Jake Beal, engineering fellow, Raytheon BBN Technologies.
Dr. Laurencin’s background bridges engineering and biology. He received his B.S.E. in chemical engineering from Princeton University, his M.D., Magna Cum Laude from the Harvard Medical School and his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology from M.I.T. He received the Pierre Galletti Award, the highest honor of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the Robert A. Pritzker Distinguished Lecture Award, the premier recognition of the Biomedical Engineering Society.
He is the first surgeon to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Inventors. He has received the Presidential Faculty Fellow Award from President Bill Clinton, and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack Obama for his work bridging engineering and biology in ceremonies at the White House.
The full report and executive summary can be found here: https://www.ervacommunity.org/visioning-report/leveraging-biology-visioning-report/
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.
The historic inaugural symposium was held on October 12 –14 in Nairobi, Kenya.
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Last week Professor Dr. Cato T. Laurencin had the honor of opening the First U.S.-Africa Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Symposium in Nairobi, Kenya.
Laurencin served as a distinguished member of the oversight committee for the symposium and represented the United States at the meeting.
“This is a project I have been committed to for a number of years and it is wonderful to see this occur. I want to thank and congratulate Dr. Felix Dakora (African Academy of Sciences) and Dr. John Hildebrand (National Academy of Sciences) for their leadership,” stated Laurencin.
This inaugural symposium was held on October 12 – 14, and was a partnership between The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and the African Academy of Sciences (AAS).
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Read the full article here: https://today.uconn.edu/2022/10/uconns-dr-cato-t-laurencin-participates-in-first-u-s-africa-frontiers-of-science-engineering-and-medicine-symposium/
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)
The Connecticut Convergence Institute’s Just Us Making Produce (JUMP) Program has expanded its aerponic garden and healthy lifestyle education initiatives in partnership with the Wilson-Gray YMCA Youth and Family Center in Hartford. Last week, the YMCA unveiled their UConn Health Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering Community garden. The garden, one of several gardens implemented by Dr. Helen Wu and staff at the Convergence Institute, is run in conjunction with the staff and members at the YMCA. The program aims to address the rise in food insecurity in Hartford as a result of the pandemic. The gardens provide access to fresh vegetables that may not otherwise be available at local stores.
According to Valenica Williams, Executive Director of the Wilson-Gray YMCA Youth and Family Center, “This is our way of providing resources in what we consider a neighborhood of a food desert: lack of affordable, fresh, healthy options for our families. So with our partnership with UConn’s Convergence Institute, we are able to provide fresh produce and an educational resource piece where we teach from seed to the table how to create a healthier lifestyle.”
In 2018, The Connecticut Convergence Institute partnered with the Aetna Foundation to create a community engagement partnership, entitled: “The Connecticut Community Health Science Initiative”, with the goal being to improve the quality of life for those who are underserved in our state. Under this initiative, the Institute created its landmark healthy lifestyle community program, JUMP, or Just Us Moving and Just Us Making Produce. The JUMP Program employs an experiential learning model that gets community members involved in a meaningful way. JUMP not only teaches individuals the importance of balanced eating, but it also stresses the importance of an active lifestyle while fostering the idea that health can be achieved at any size.
The JUMP-YMCA programming is the fourth community partnership established in the Hartford area. Last year, gardens were created at the Urban League of Greater Hartford, as well as the Parkville Senior Center, and Parkville Elementary school. The JUMP Program hopes to continue to expand with new partnerships with other Hartford based community organizations. If you are interested in bringing the JUMP Program to your organization, contact Karishma Pinto at kapinto@uchc.edu.
Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering
Fellow in Health Disparities Elimination and Community Action
Postdoctoral Fellow position in Health Disparities
Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering at the University of Connecticut is seeks to hire a full time, Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in the CT Convergence Institute.
The Health Disparities Fellow will work closely with the Chief Executive Officer and Assistant Director of the Connecticut Convergence Institute on Health Disparities related initiatives and will contribute to research and community engagement initiatives associated with the Connecticut Convergence Institute Health Disparities Core Projects. In this capacity, the fellow will work on a new National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Medicine, Engineering and Science. The fellow will be engaged part time to work with the development of Perspective papers and surveys related to issues facing Black Men and Black Women in Medicine, Engineering and Science. The Fellow will also work with members of the Roundtable on formulation of follow on projects from ideas generated from the Roundtable. In addition, the Fellow will work on community health disparities projects funded by an Aetna Foundation Community Partnership Grant to the Connecticut Convergence Institute. The Fellow will also serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, published by Springer Nature and having its home at the Connecticut Convergence Institute at UCONN.
The successful candidate must hold a terminal professional degree (e.g. Ph.D. M.D., and/or M.P.H.) and have demonstrated potential for success based on scholarly record and demonstrated interest in health disparities, and have the ability to work in collaboration with clinical, translational and/or basic scientists.
A curriculum vitae and a cover letter (in pdf files) and questions regarding this search should be directed to Dr. Lakshmi Nair, Associate Director of the Connecticut Convergence Institute at nair@uchc.edu.
Application Open for New T32 Doctoral Training Program in Regenerative Engineering
The Connecticut Convergence Institute has been awarded the T32 Program Grant Regenerative Engineering of Musculoskeletal Tissues: A Convergence Doctoral Training Program by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS, AR079114). This T32 Program aims to educate, support and enhance the training of individuals dedicated to careers as independent translational and basic scientists in regenerative engineering. The program offers inter-disciplinary research training at UConn Health and UConn Storrs combining the fields of biomedical science and engineering.
OVERVIEW
Trainees will be selected from current UConn graduate students at UConn Health and UConn Storrs who have completed their first year of graduate studies. The T32 Program will offer trainees a broad level of expertise in research and instruction based on the research and educational experiences of the biomedical and engineering faculty who serve as preceptors. Trainees will become experts in regenerative engineering and its foundations to work towards the alleviation of human disease and musculoskeletal injuries by means of tissue regeneration. The Program strengths include its interdisciplinary and collaborative research in biomedical science and engineering, interactions with diverse trainees and faculty, training in contemporary research methodologies, and experienced preceptors.
ELIGIBILITY
All applicants must:
APPLICATION PROCESS [Submission Deadline: July 21, 2021]
For more information, contact Lana Angelo, Educational Programs Manager, at langelo@uchc.edu.
New Grant to Train Future Scientists in Regenerative Engineering
Awarded to the Connecticut Convergence Institute
The novel doctoral T32 Program, Regenerative Engineering of Musculoskeletal Tissues: A Convergence Doctoral Training Program has been funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases NIAMS (T32 AR079114) for 5 years (2021-2026). The T32 Program goals are to educate, support and enhance the training of individuals dedicated to careers as independent clinical translational and basic scientists in regenerative engineering.
The program offers inter-disciplinary research training at the University of Connecticut (UConn) combining the fields of biomedical science and engineering. Faculty at the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering who led this grant were Dr. Cato Laurencin (Principal Investigator), Dr. Gualberto Ruaño (Co-Investigator), and Dr. Lakshmi Nair (Co-Investigator).
Regenerative Engineering is defined as the Convergence of advanced materials science, stem cell science, physics, developmental biology and clinical translation for the regeneration of complex tissues and organ systems. Musculoskeletal regeneration is a field ripe for an inventive approach based on convergence to address challenging issues, advance technology and further fundamental knowledge for therapeutic applications. At the center of the Convergence approach is the understanding that new solutions in regeneration will take place through an ‘un-siloed’ approach.
The T32 Program will enroll 2 Ph.D. or dual degree students per year and support each for 2 years of Graduate School. The students will be drawn from graduate programs at UConn Health and UConn Storrs. The students will apply for T32 support at the end of Year 1 of their graduate programs to be supported for Years 2-3. The T32 Program will offer trainees a broad level of expertise in research and instruction based on the research, educational, and clinical experiences of the biomedical and engineering faculty who serve as preceptors. Trainees will become experts in regenerative engineering and its foundations to work towards the alleviation of human disease and musculoskeletal injuries by means of tissue regeneration.
The T32 Program has preceptorship commitments from 20 distinguished faculty across UConn departments (including Biomedical Engineering, Cell Biology, Computer Science, Genetics and Genome Sciences, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Oral Health, Orthopedic Surgery). This eminent group of investigators, who are well funded and published, will provide the primary research training and serve as role models for doctoral trainees.
Regenerative Engineering welcomes ideas and research across a gamut of disciplines. The Program strengths include its interdisciplinary and collaborative research in biomedical science and engineering, interactions with diverse trainees and faculty, training in contemporary research methodologies, and experienced preceptors. T32 Program administration through the Connecticut Convergence Institute will provide the experience to recruit diverse trainees, including minorities, and implement the curriculum.
Disorders of the musculoskeletal system with advancing age or due to injury and trauma are among the most debilitating to the human body and costly to the healthcare system with disability. Novel treatments will require convergence of molecular, cellular, and organismic research through interdisciplinary integration of biomedical science and engineering. This T32 Program is based on the unique concept of training Ph.D. candidates in the realm of scientific convergence applied to the field of regenerative engineering to enable fundamental and translational discoveries
