Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, Ph.D., KCSL, received the prestigious Bioactive Materials Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony held in May at a recognition ceremony in China. It was the highlight of the Westlake Advanced Regenerative Medicine Engineering Conference, which was the first international meeting on regenerative engineering, a field he founded and has pioneered.
The Bioactive Materials Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2020 to recognize excellence in research and development in the field. The award transcends individual honor, serving as a catalyst for advancing the field, fostering international collaboration, and inspiring innovation.
Bioactive Materials is an international, peer-reviewed research publication covering all aspects of bioactive materials.
The presentation ceremony was chaired by Prof. Zheng Yufeng of Peking University, editor-in-chief of Bioactive Materials. More than 300 experts and scholars from the global biomaterials and medical engineering fields convened to witness this milestone event. Bioactive materials have emerged as a core driver of medical revolution. At the event, Laurencin announced the beginning of the “Year of Regenerative Engineering.”
Three eminent scholars spoke in celebration of Laurencin’s legacy and outstanding achievements in the field of regenerative engineering. Professor Robert Langer, F.R.Eng. Sc.D., (MIT), gave a moving tribute, “Dr. Laurencin is a distinguished scientist who has made groundbreaking discoveries in regenerative engineering, trained generations of students, demonstrated leadership across universities and globally, and inspired countless individuals as a role model.”
Professor Liu Changsheng (Shanghai University), a 2021 Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, noted, “As a pioneer in regenerative engineering, Professor Laurencin has driven the integration of engineering and biology, enabled clinical translation of technologies, and pioneered polymeric biomaterials for musculoskeletal repair. His contributions are profound, and this award is well-deserved.”
Professor Guillermo Ameer (Northwestern University) a 2022 Bioactive Materials Lifetime Achievement Award recipient said, “We look to Dr. Laurencin to continue leading the field of regenerative engineering as a role model, bridging gaps and advocating for equity for those with limited resources.”
At UConn Laurencin is the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UConn School of Medicine, professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He is the chief executive officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, a cross-university institute created and named in his honor at the University of Connecticut.
Laurencin is the founder and pioneer of the field of 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 and the Priestley Medal (highest award) from the American Chemical Society. He received the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, NIH’s highest and most prestigious research award, for his field of Regenerative Engineering and the National Science Foundation’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Grant Award. 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 AAAS fellow. The American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded Laurencin the Philip Hauge Abelson Prize given ‘for signal contributions to the advancement of science in the United States’.
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.
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 one of the oldest/highest awards 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).
