UConn's Laurencin Elected to National Academy of Medicine Council, Groundbreaking Institute for Regenerative Engineering Launched
/Acclaimed University of Connecticut Professor Cato T. Laurencin, CEO of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering at UConn, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine Council, the Academy’s governing and oversight body, for a 3-year term beginning this month, UConn has announced.
The National Academy of Medicine is an independent, trusted advisor to the nation. Election to membership in the National Academy Medicine is considered one of the highest honors in the field.
“I am incredibly pleased to be elected to the National Academy of Medicine Council. I strongly believe in the mission and vision of the National Academy of Medicine and hope my contributions can advance its work,” said Laurencin, the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UConn School of Medicine.
Laurencin is the first surgeon elected to membership in all four of the U.S. National Academies: The National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors.
Laurencin is known as a world leader in biomaterials, polymeric materials science, nanotechnology, stem cell science, drug delivery systems, and a field he has pioneered - regenerative engineering. Regenerative engineering is a field founded by Laurencin. It is the convergence of advanced materials sciences, stems cell science, physics, developmental biology, and clinical translation for the regeneration of complex tissues and organ systems. Laurencin’s breakthrough achievements in science, engineering, and medicine have resulted in transformative advances in improving human life, UConn officials explained.
Early this year, UConn established The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering. The new cross-campus Institute supports a core mission of UConn to foster new ways of thinking and new approaches to find answers in medicine, science, engineering, and technology. The Institute reports to the Office of the Provost.
“The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering will have extraordinary impact on the world,” UConn President Radenka Maric told UConn Today. “By any metric, Dr. Laurencin would be considered among the most accomplished faculty in UConn’s history.”
“In receiving the Spingarn Medal he was declared by the NAACP to be the world’s foremost engineer-physician-scientist,” Maric continued. “He is also a great mentor and public servant. He is the recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math and Engineering Mentoring and has been a fervent advocate and champion for health care equity and social justice his entire career. His contributions to science, medicine, and humanity are truly extraordinary.”
A practicing orthopaedic surgeon, he has been named to America’s Top Doctors for over 15 years. He received the American Orthopaedic Association’s (AOA) Distinguished Contributions to Orthopaedics Award with induction into the AOA Awards Hall of Fame. In innovation, Laurencin was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, America’s highest honor for technological advancement, by President Barack Obama in ceremonies at the White House.
The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering embraces the six pillars described by Laurencin:
Overwhelming Excellence in Science
Anti-Racism and Justice
Sponsorship and Mentorship
International, National, and Community Action
Transformative Technologies for Humanity
Entrepreneurship and Economic Value Creation
The Cato T. Laurencin Institute continues its breakthrough work dedicated to achieving limb regeneration by the year 2030. The program is entitled the Hartford Engineering a Limb Project (HEAL). Innovation and problem-solving beyond conventional academic boundaries has been the core of the work of Laurencin’s Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering.
The Cato T. Laurencin Institute embraces convergence in fostering new ways of thinking and new approaches to create answers through an un-siloed philosophy embracing medicine, science, engineering, and technology. The new Institute hopes to engage a broad cross-university community in carrying out its vital mission.
