Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin of the University of Connecticut was an invited attendee at a meeting of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

On July 8th, 2026, he attended a combined meeting at the Great Hall of the People, where he addressed Xi Jinping, president of the People’s Republic of China. Later that day, Laurencin gave a speech at a meeting of the foreign members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

His presentation, entitled “Regenerative Engineering AI,” defined the new subfield of Regenerative Engineering, in which the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence, including analysis of large data sets, prediction using computational algorithms, and rapid adaptation, can be applied.

During his talk, Laurencin also took the opportunity to describe his profound sense of pride in America on its 250th anniversary.

Laurencin is an international leader in Biomaterials Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Orthopedic Surgery, and Regenerative Engineering, a field he founded and pioneered. In Asia, he is an Academician and a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He received the Bioactive Materials Lifetime Achievement Award in Ceremonies in China. He is also a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Engineering, the Indian Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences, India. He was honored with the highest honor of the Indian Society for Biomaterials and has been the Plenary speaker for the combined India-U.S. American Chemical Society meeting. He has presented at centers throughout Asia.

In the U.S., Laurencin is the first surgeon in history elected to all four major U.S. national academies. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine, and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He is also an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

At UConn, Laurencin serves as the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at UConn School of Medicine. He is professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and professor of Biomedical Engineering. He is the Chief Executive Officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, an Institute created and named in his honor.