By Giorgina Paiella
Congratulations to Dr. Cato Laurencin, who was recently selected as a Fellow of the Materials Research Society (MRS).
The Materials Research Society is an organization comprised of materials researchers from academia, government, and industry. This global community of researchers aims to advance materials research worldwide through vibrant and diverse membership, collaboration among various disciplines and the dissemination of materials science and technology information. MRS Fellows are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the international advancement of materials research. Exemplifying the highest ideals of accomplishment and service outlined in the MRS mission, this prestigious lifetime appointment is awarded to a very small number of MRS members.
Dr. Laurencin was among twenty-two members honored as 2014 MRS Fellows at this week’s Materials Research Society Meeting. He was recognized for his “seminal contributions to the use of advanced polymer materials in the medical field and in regenerative medicine.”
Dr. Laurencin is a University Professor at the University of Connecticut (the 7th in the institution’s history). He serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science at UConn. In addition to being a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, he is the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Professor of Chemical, and Biomolecular Engineering, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering. He is also a member of the Institute of Materials Science at UConn.
Dr. Laurencin is the founder and director of both the Institute for Regenerative Engineering and the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Laurencin previously served as the Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine at UConn. During his tenure, he was an instrumental leader in the transformative $864 million “Bioscience Connecticut” initiative designed to assure the long-term future for the UCHC as a top academic medical center.
Dr. Laurencin earned his B.S.E. degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was named a Hugh Hampton Young Fellow. At the same time, he earned his M.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Laurencin is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering.
