The Othmer Gold Medal, the Institute’s most prestigious award, honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to chemical and materials sciences. It recognizes innovators who impact society through research, innovation, and/or entrepreneurship. Recipients include Nobel laureates, pioneering researchers, and leaders in cutting edge scientific work. The award will be presented to Laurencin at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia in May.
Laurencin was nominated for his groundbreaking work in the use of polymeric biomaterials chemistry and engineering to treat musculoskeletal conditions and to improve the human condition. The award is co-sponsored by the American Chemistry Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, The Chemists’ Club, and the Societe de Chimie Industrielle.
Laurencin is internationally acclaimed as the founder of the field of Regenerative Engineering, pioneering the convergence of advanced materials science, stem cell biology, physics, developmental biology, and clinical translation for the regeneration of complex tissues and organ systems. His pioneering achievements have earned him recognition as the “Father of Regenerative Engineering,” and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Foundation established and endowed the Cato T. Laurencin Founder’s Award in Regenerative Engineering in his honor. He 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.
In receiving the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP, he was recognized as the world’s foremost engineer-physician-scientist. He has received the highest recognitions across science, engineering, and medicine, including the Priestley Medal, the highest honor of the American Chemical Society, the Simon Ramo Founders Award, the highest honor of the National Academy of Engineering, and the Philip Hauge Abelson Prize of the American Association of the Advancement of Science.
At the University of Connecticut, Sir Cato Laurencin serves as the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic 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.
Laurencin received his B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering at Princeton, his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology from M.I.T. and his M.D., Magna Cum Laude from the Harvard Medical School.
In recognition of his global contributions, Laurencin was bestowed Knight Commander of the Order of St. Lucia, conferred under the auspices of King Charles III through the Governor General of St. Lucia.
