The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering

Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. KCSL, is the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Connecticut. He is Professor of Chemical Engineering, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the school. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering.

Dr. Laurencin earned a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and his M.D., Magna Cum Laude, from the Harvard Medical School and received the Robinson Award for Surgery. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was named a Hugh Hampton Young Fellow. A practicing sports medicine and shoulder surgeon, Dr. Laurencin has been named to America’s Top Doctors for over fifteen years. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a Fellow of the American Orthopaedic Association, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the American Surgical Association. He received the Nicolas Andry Award, the highest honor of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons, and the Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughn Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Laurencin served as dean of the medical school and vice president of health affairs at the University of Connecticut.

Dr. Laurencin is a pioneer of the new field, Regenerative Engineering. He is an expert in biomaterials science, stem cell technology, and nanotechnology and was named one of the 100 Engineers of the Modern Era by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He received the Founder’s Award (highest award) from the Society for Biomaterials, the Von Hippel Award (highest award) from the Materials Research Society, and the James Bailey Award (highest award) from the Society for Biological Engineering. He received the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, NIH’s highest and most prestigious research award, for his new field of Regenerative Engineering and the National Science Foundation’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Grant Award. Dr. Laurencin is the Editor-in-Chief of Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine, published by Springer Nature, and is the Founder of the Regenerative Engineering Society. He is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, a Fellow of the Materials Research Society, and an AAAS Fellow. The American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded Dr. Laurencin the Philip Hauge Abelson Prize given ‘for signal contributions to the advancement of science in the United States’.

Dr. Laurencin is active in mentoring, especially underrepresented minority students. He received the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mentor Award, the Beckman Award for Mentoring, and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math, and Engineering Mentoring in ceremonies at the White House. The Society for Biomaterials established The Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Travel Fellowship, in his honor, was awarded to underrepresented minority students pursuing research. Dr. Laurencin is also active in addressing Health Disparities. Dr. Laurencin completed the Program in African-American Studies at Princeton University. He is a core faculty member of the Africana Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut and is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, published by Springer Nature. He co-Founded the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute, dedicated to addressing Health Disparities, and served as its Founding Chair. The W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute and the National Medical Association established the Cato T. Laurencin Lifetime Research Achievement Award, given during the opening ceremonies of the National Medical Association Meeting. He is a recipient of the Herbert W. Nickens Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges recognizing his work advancing social justice and equity.

Dr. Laurencin is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He is the first surgeon in history elected to all four of these academies. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Active internationally, he is an elected fellow of the Indian National Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Academy of Engineering, the African Academy of Sciences, The World Academy of Sciences, and is an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Dr. Laurencin is the recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, America’s highest honor for technological achievement, awarded by President Barack Obama in ceremonies at the White House. He is the first individual in history to receive the oldest/highest award of the National Academy of Medicine (the Walsh McDermott Medal) and the oldest/highest award of the National Academy of Engineering (the Simon Ramo Founder’s Award). He will receive the Dickson Prize for Medicine. Many of the Dickson Prize awardees have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize.

Sir Cato T. Laurencin was bestowed Knight Commander of the Order of St. Lucia, under the auspices of King Charles III of England for his exceptional and outstanding service of national importance to Saint Lucia.

About The Cato. T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering

Regenerative engineering is a field founded by Professor Cato T. Laurencin. It is described as the convergence of advanced materials sciences, stems cell science, physics, developmental biology, and clinical translation for the regeneration of complex tissues and organ systems. The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering represents a transdisciplinary effort at UConn with a focus on the musculoskeletal area. The Institute integrates medicine, engineering, surgery, biology, physics, chemistry, and statistics/machine learning to enable a powerful platform for addressing scientific and medical problems in the regeneration and healing of complex tissues, organs, or organ systems.

Our Foundational Principles

• Innovation: The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering believes that regenerative engineering offers solutions and hope for people who have ailments that today are beyond repair.
• Education: The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering is committed to promoting the professional development of UConn faculty and students, embracing the diversity of human talent in our communities.
• Collaboration: The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering is committed to collaboration, serving as a bridge across the wide range of disciplines dedicated to regenerative engineering research.
• Community: The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering believes that interactive community engagement is fundamental to the fulfillment of its societal commitment to the resilience of human function.

Areas of Focus

The grand challenge to regenerate complex tissue and organ systems calls for a paradigm shift that requires a transdisciplinary approach. The field of regenerative engineering uses a convergence approach to create a regenerative toolbox to move beyond individual tissue repair to the regeneration of complex tissues and organ systems. The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering has defined regenerative engineering as a new field that convergences advanced materials sciences, stem cell sciences, physics, developmental biology, and clinical translation to foster scientific innovation. Embedded in this new field include the following five areas:

1. Advanced Materials Sciences: The field of materials science has significantly advanced from the level of biodegradable polymers and ceramics to custom designed biomimetic inductive biomaterials with carefully modulated physical, mechanical, and biological properties to enhance the natural regenerative process of the body.
2. Stem Cell Sciences: The progress in the field of stem cells research represents great scope in regenerative engineering.
3. Physics: Physical forces play a subtle but crucial part bio-fitness and resilience.
4. Developmental Biology: Principles found in embryological development and in developmental morphogenesis will ultimately be critical for addressing grand challenges in regeneration.
5. Clinical Translation: The growing evidence of achieving better functional outcomes in larger animals using a biomaterial approach compared to smaller animals mirrors the translational potential of inductive biomaterials.