Today, the Society for Science & the Public unveiled a new Honorary Board made up of distinguished scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and innovators who are recognized leaders in their field. Dr. Laurencin is one of the 22 inaugural Honorary Board members. The Board will provide the Society with strategic guidance and input on scientific issues of importance to the Society. Established in 1921, the Society is a nonprofit whose vision is to promote the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement: to inform, educate and inspire. Through its world-class competitions, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the International Science and Engineering Fair, and the Broadcom MASTERS, and its award-winning magazines, Science News and Science News for Students, the Society conveys the excitement of science and research directly to the public.

This morning Dr. Helen Wu and Melanie Burnat visited Hot 93.7 radio to promote the upcoming Health Café event happening this Friday.  Accompanied by the HOT Morning Crew, DJ Buck, Genesis Robles and Stevey Newnez, they promoted the upcoming event focused on addiction. Watch the interview here.

The Health Café will take place this Friday the 19^th from 6-8p.m. at the First Cathedral located at 1151 Blue Hills Avenue Bloomfield, CT. This event is completely free! Join us for an entry level educational seminar on Mental Resilience: Addiction. Free dinner and giveaways will be provided!

Get more information and RSVP to the event here.

On July 12^th Dr. Laurencin attended the 34th Annual MD/PhD National Student Conference as a keynote speaker in Copper, Colorado. As the first keynote speaker of the 3-day event, he engaged the crowd with a powerful presentation on Regenerative Engineering: Convergence in Action.

Each year, the University of Colorado Medical Scientist Training Program sponsors and coordinates the National MD/PhD Student Conference. Organized by the 3rd year MSTP students, the conference provides an opportunity for MD/PhD students around the country to present their work and interact with other students and prominent scientific investigators. What began as a small meeting in 1986 has grown into a gathering of over 200 students, faculty, and alumni from over 60 academic institutions in the United States and Canada.

Throughout the event, Dr. Laurencin had a chance to meet with hundreds of impressive students along with 2018 Nobel Prize winner Jim Allison. Ph.D. Allison is the Chair of Immunology and Executive Director of the Immunotherapy Platform at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for launching an effective new way to attack cancer by treating the immune system rather than the tumor. Allison is the first MD Anderson scientist to receive the world’s most preeminent award for outstanding discoveries in the fields of life sciences and medicine.

In early June, Dr. Laurencin presented at the 2019 NIH High-Risk High-Reward Research Symposium on Regenerative Engineering: Convergence of Material Importance in Bethesda, Maryland. The symposium is open to the public and unites recipients of the NIH Director’s Pioneer, New Innovator, Transformative Research, and Early Independence awards to share their groundbreaking research and discoveries.

The symposium is sponsored by The NIH Common Fund whose programs address emerging scientific opportunities and pressing challenges in biomedical research that no single NIH Institute or Center can address on its own, but are of high priority for the NIH as a whole. The Common Fund is a unique resource at NIH, functioning as a “venture capital” space where high-risk, innovative endeavors with the potential for extraordinary impact can be supported. Common Fund programs are short-term, goal-driven strategic investments, with deliverables intended to catalyze research across multiple biomedical research disciplines.

This afternoon, Dr. Laurencin and Dr. Lo welcomed the 2019 REM students with a meet and greet style luncheon. The Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program aims to mentor students from diverse backgrounds to prepare them for careers in STEM-related disciplines. The program recruits high school students, undergraduate students, and teachers in professional development to provide them with skills including communications, scientific writing, and collaboration, while providing a high quality research experience.

Each summer, participants in the REM program are welcomed at UConn Health for research training. Participants learn the basic aspects of research including research problem identification, experimental design, and execution. Our laboratories have researchers at all levels (post-docs, grad students, undergraduate and faculty members) so there is an opportunity to learn from a variety of scientists.

2019 Cohort:

• Jason Addi
• Ama Dondorful –Amos
• Liahna Gonda-King
• Princess Harmon
• Hector Jiminez
• Raady Rahman
• Vigil Savon

Dr. Laurencin traveled to San Diego, California to attend the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) Annual Leadership Meeting from June 25-29^th. The first Annual Meeting of the AOA was held in 1887, making this event the 132^nd annual meeting. Attendees included over 500 key influencers and decision-makers, some of the most accomplished and distinguished orthopaedic surgeons in North America.

The AOA equips orthopaedic surgeons with knowledge and skills necessary to lead effectively in the ever-changing landscape of the health care environment. Through its diverse constituency of orthopaedic leaders, the AOA focuses on leadership, academic, and critical issues associated with the specialty. The goal of the association is to engage the orthopaedic community to develop leaders, strategies, and resources to guide the future of musculoskeletal care.

To be discussed:

• What is Translational Research?
• Translational Research classifications
• National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
• Barriers and Enabling Factors to Translational Research

Instructor

Lakshmi S. Nair., M.Phil., Ph.D

Associate Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery

Associate Director, Connecticut Convergence Institute

We are pleased to announce that the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities has received a first Impact Factor of 2.147. Our first Impact Factor is the highest among journals focusing on racial and ethnic disparities and confirms that we are the leading journal in the field.

Thank you to our editors, editorial staff and board members, reviewers and authors for their valuable contribution to our journal. We look forward to continued success as the journal continues to strengthen and grow!

Cato T. Laurencin MD, PhD

Editor-in-Chief

Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

On Tuesday, June 25, 2019 Connecticut Convergence Institute Graduate Assistant Paulos Mengsteab successfully defended his doctoral dissertation titled “Evaluation of the Regenerative Potential of a Bioengineered Ligament.” With years of support from his Major Advisor, Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, he passed his written dissertation and oral defense. The entire Connecticut Convergence Institute sends him a big congratulations and looks forward to seeing what is next for Paulos!

Abstract: The goal of this work is to evaluate the regenerative potential of bioengineered ligaments in a rabbit ACL reconstruction model. Bioengineered ligaments, composed of poly (l-lactic) acid (PLLA) microfibers, were fabricated by braiding and the effect of growth factor and bone marrow aspirate concentrate therapy to enhance regeneration on this matrix was assessed. To achieve this goal, three specific aims were undertaken: 1) development of a braiding machine to fabricate scalable bioengineered ligaments, 2) evaluation of the osteointegration of bioengineered ligaments with and without bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) supplementation, and 3) evaluation of the effect of materials, bone marrow aspirate concentrate, and growth factors on the regenerative properties of bioengineered ligaments.  Herein, we achieved the fabrication of a bioengineered ligament with a peak load up to 2500 N. Secondly, we found that the osteointegration of the bioengineered ligament in the bone tunnel is predominately anchored by Sharpey fibers, but that BMP-2 supplementation through saline injections did not promote greater bone formation in the bone tunnels. Third, the importance of surgical technique in the fixation of a bioengineered ligament in a rabbit ACL model was found with significantly improved results when fixing the graft in flexion. Additionally, the mechanical properties of the bioengineered ligament were the highest reported in a rabbit ACL model at 12 weeks. Furthermore, it was shown that a bioengineered ligament composed of an 83:17 blend of PLLA and polyethylene terephthalate demonstrates significantly higher mineral apposition rates compared to PLLA alone, which is hypothesized to be a consequence of reduced acidic byproducts. Finally, it was found that the regeneration of the bioengineered ligament undergoes a mechanism of endochondral ossification in the bone tunnel and that BMAC therapy promotes the presence of chondrocyte-like cells within the fibers of the ligament. It is theorized that the compressive forces placed on cells during tensile loading coupled with the low oxygen tension environment promoted the endochondral ossification seen. Overall, this work uncovers the mechanism of regeneration for bioengineered ligaments and provides evidence for the potential of complete bone tunnel regeneration.

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Topic: Dr. Surita Rao will discuss addiction as a brain disorder, and the implications of that for treatment, including both psychosocial therapies and medications. The disease of addiction carries a lot of stigma and people are often angry and frustrated with the person who suffers from a substance use disorder, asking why they just cannot stop using. While recovery is definitely a choice on the part of the patient, it is not a simple one. A large number of people who suffer from an addictive illness also have coexisting mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. It is often difficult to determine which condition started first, but treating both simultaneously often helps the person to get better from both conditions.

About Dr. Surita Rao: Surita Rao, M.B.B.S, M.D. FASAM, is an associate professor and director of the psychiatry residency training program, at the University of Connecticut Medical School, Department of psychiatry. From December 2002 through October 2014, she was the Chair and Director of the Behavioral Health Service Line at Saint Francis Care. She was the Service Medical Director, Whiting Forensic Division, Connecticut Valley Hospital, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services from November 2014 through October 2015. She completed medical school at Bankura Sammilani Medical College in India and did her psychiatry residency training at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Staten Island, New York and the Yale University School of Medicine. She did her addiction psychiatry fellowship at the Yale University School of Medicine. She has been on the faculty at both Yale and Emory Universities. Her clinical work has focused on addiction psychiatry. Her career has focused on patient care, administration and teaching. Dr. Rao has served on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Addiction Medicine and as vice chair of their national membership committee. Currently she serves on the ASAM ethics committee. She is past president of the CT chapter of ASAM and is on the executive committee of the Connecticut Chapter of ASAM. She also serves on the Board of the Hartford Dispensary. She has done multiple regional and national presentations on substance use disorders and mental health issues. . She did a variety of media appearances on television and radio over her career, including appearances on CNN and a pilot series of a radio show on Voice America Internet radio, “​ Mental Health with Dr. Surita Rao”. Podcasts can be found online and through iTunes.