Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., S.L.M.H., F.R.Eng., is the University Professor at the University of Connecticut (one of only two at the school). He is Professor of Chemical Engineering, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at UConn. He is the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering at the University of Connecticut, and Institute created in his honor.
Dr. Laurencin earned a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. He earned 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.
Dr. Laurencin is the pioneer of the field of Regenerative Engineering. He is an expert in biomaterials science, stem cell technology and nanotechnology and has worked in the Convergence of these areas of research. In receiving the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP, he was named as the world’s foremost engineer-physician-scientist.
He received the Founder’s Award (highest award) from the Society for Biomaterials, the James Bailey Award (highest award) from the Society for Biological Engineering, the BMES Robert A. Pritzker Award (highest award) from the Biomedical Engineering Society, and the Pierre Galletti Award (highest award) from the American Institute for Medical and 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 a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society. He is an International Fellow in Biomaterials Science and Engineering, and a Fellow of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering.
Dr. Laurencin is the recipient of the Priestley Medal, the American Chemical Society’s highest honor, and the recipient of the Von Hippel Award, the Materials Research Society’s highest honor. He is the recipient of the Founders Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the Percy Julian Medal from the National Association of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, their highest awards. 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.’ In recognition of his breakthrough achievements in Regenerative Engineering worldwide, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers created the Cato T. Laurencin Regenerative Engineering Founder’s Award.
Dr. Laurencin is active in mentoring and in social justice. He received the Presidential Award for Excellence is Science, Math and Engineering Mentoring from President Barack Obama, the Beckman Award for Mentoring, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mentor Award. He has received the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon’s Diversity Award, the Biomedical Engineering Society’s Diversity Award, and the Society for Biomaterials Diversity Equity and Inclusion Award. Dr. Laurencin is the recipient of the 2020 Herbert W. Nickens Award of the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) recognizing his efforts in promoting social justice, equity, and fairness. He has described the IDEAL Path for achieving diversity—IDEAL representing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Learning, recently adopted by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He is the recipient of the Hoover Medal, American engineering’s principal honor for humanitarian work. The Society for Biomaterials (SFB) created the Cato T. Laurencin Travelling Fellow Award for underrepresented students to attend SFB meetings in his honor.
Dr. Laurencin is an inventor. He was named the 2023 Inventor of the Year by the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation. He received the 2024 Kathryn S. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success from the American Chemical Society. He is the recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, America’s highest honor for technical achievement, awarded by President Barack Obama in ceremonies at the White House.