UConn Health Honor Roll

Read about the latest accolades received by the faculty and trainees of UConn Health.

The new Academic Rotunda at UConn School of Medicine (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health Photo).

Saint Lucia Honors Laurencin
University Professor Dr. Cato T. Laurencin of UConn School of Medicine and CEO of the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering at UConn Health has been honored with one of Saint Lucia’s 2022 National Awards. On February 22 his excellency the Acting Governor-General as Chancellor of the Order of Saint Lucia, on the advice of the Prime Minister, announced on Saint Lucia’s Independence Day 2022, the Saint Lucia Medal Of Honour (gold) award to Laurencin for eminent international service rendered in the field of medicine, regenerative engineering and life sciences.

Orthopedic Surgeon-Scientist Receives Marshall Urist Award
Dr. Cato T. Laurencin was awarded the Marshall Urist Award by The Orthopaedic Research Society at its annual meeting on February 7. The award honors him for his excellence in tissue regeneration research and as a cutting-edge scientist. Laurencin is the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UConn School of Medicine.
Read more.

Psychiatry Resident Wins National Essay Contest
Dr. Richard Zhang, psychiatry resident in the Department of Psychiatry at UConn School of Medicine, won first place in the national 28th annual Stanley M. Kaplan Essay contest for his history of psychiatry essay focusing on “Marketing Medicine for the Mind: Mental Hygiene, Neurasthenia, and Patent Drugs in Mid-1930s Shanghai.” This award is named after Stanley who was an alumnus of the UC College of Medicine and a member of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience faculty from 1954 until his death in 2011. He was deeply committed to teaching and research. In 1992, Dr. Kaplan established the annual essay contest to encourage improved writing and research skills among medical students.
Read Dr. Zhang’s study

Dental Student Places in National Essay Contest
Third-year dental student Madeline Montenegro, recently placed as first runner-up in the 2021 Health Literacy in Dentistry essay contest sponsored by the American Dental Association (ADA). Her topic was the ease of the spread of misinformation and how it can cause patients to mistrust their providers and avoid seeking care. Read more.