Bio:
Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., 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 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).
Sir Cato T. Laurencin was born in the U.S. but is also a citizen of St. Lucia. In March 2025, he was bestowed with Knighthood under the auspices of King Charles III of England by the Governor General of St. Lucia for his exceptional and outstanding service of national importance to Saint Lucia.
Recent Honors and Awards:
Bioactive Materials Lifetime Achievement Award 2025
Dickson Prize in Medicine, University of Pittsburgh 2025
Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia Auspices of King Charles III of England 2025
Sigma Xi Fellow, Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Honor Society 2025
AAPS Distinguished Pharmaceutical Scientist Award, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) 2025
Research Summary:
Dr. Laurencin’s research involves tissue engineering, biomaterials science, nanotechnology and stem cell science and a new field he terms, regenerative engineering. He is an International Fellow in Biomaterials Science and Engineering and a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society. His work was honored by Scientific American Magazine as one of the 50 greatest achievements in science in 2007. Dr. Laurencin was named the 2009 winner of the Pierre Galletti Award, Medical and Institute of Chemical Engineers at its centennial celebration. Dr. Laurencin is active in technology development. In 2012 his work in musculoskeletal tissue regeneration was featured in National Geographic Magazine’s “100 Discoveries that Changed Our World” edition. In addition, he received the Technology, Innovation and Development Award from the Society for Biomaterials in 2013 for key scientific and technical innovation and leadership in translational research. More information about current projects can be found at: http://uconndocs.uchc.edu/Home/Physician?profileId=Laurencin-Cato
Selected Publications:
- Simple signaling molecules for inductive bone regenerative engineering.Cushnie, Emily K; Ulery, Bret D; Nelson, Stephen J; Deng, Meng; Sethuraman, Swaminathan; Doty, Stephen B; Lo, Kevin W H; Khan, Yusuf M; Laurencin, Cato T. (2014). PloS one, 7, (9), e101627.
- Functionalized carbon nanotube reinforced scaffolds for bone regenerative engineering: fabrication, in vitro and in vivo evaluation.Mikael, Paiyz E; Amini, Ami R; Basu, Joysurya; Josefina Arellano-Jimenez, M; Laurencin, Cato T; Sanders, Mary M; Barry Carter, C; Nukavarapu, Syam P. (2014). Biomedical materials (Bristol, England), 3, (9), 035001.
- Delivery of small molecules for bone regenerative engineering: preclinical studies and potential clinical applications.Laurencin, Cato T; Ashe, Keshia M; Henry, Nicole; Kan, Ho Man; Lo, Kevin W-H. (2014). Drug discovery today, 6, (19), 794-800.
- Small-molecule based musculoskeletal regenerative engineering.Lo, Kevin W-H; Jiang, Tao; Gagnon, Keith A; Nelson, Clarke; Laurencin, Cato T. (2014). Trends in biotechnology, 2, (32), 74-81.
- Facile fabrication of polyanhydride/anesthetic nanoparticles with tunable release kinetics.Ulery, Bret D; Kan, Ho-Man; Williams, Bryce A; Narasimhan, Balaji; Lo, Kevin W-H; Nair, Lakshmi S; Laurencin, Cato T. (2013). Advanced healthcare materials, 6, (3), 843-7.