{"id":181242,"date":"2022-01-31T07:01:10","date_gmt":"2022-01-31T12:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=181242"},"modified":"2022-01-30T21:59:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-31T02:59:00","slug":"uconn-celebrates-dr-cato-t-laurencin-for-historic-naacp-top-honor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2022\/01\/uconn-celebrates-dr-cato-t-laurencin-for-historic-naacp-top-honor\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Celebrates Dr. Cato T. Laurencin for Historic NAACP Top Honor"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Jan. 28, the University of Connecticut gathered to pay tribute to Professor Cato T. Laurencin, MD, Ph.D. at a special reception honoring him upon his winning the 106th<\/sup> annual prestigious Spingarn Medal. It is the highest honor of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People\u00a0(NAACP).<\/p>\n

Impressively, like Laurencin, the Spingarn Medal has been bestowed upon such American greats as Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou, George Washington Carver, Jackie Robinson, Duke Ellington, Charles Drew, and others over the award’s 106-year history.<\/p>\n

Named after the late J.E. Spingarn\u2013then NAACP Chairman of the Board of Directors\u2013 this gold medal, awarded annually since 1915, honors \u201cthe man or woman of African descent and American citizenship who shall have made the highest achievement during the preceding year or years in any honorable field.\u201d The award is intended both to draw the attention of the general public to African American achievement and to inspire young African Americans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis list of those who have won the Spingarn medal is incredible. I am honored to be in such awesome company,\u201d said Laurencin, who paid special homage to his parents, thanking his father, a union carpenter, and his mother, a doctor and trailblazer in medicine, science, and the community for teaching him Black excellence and Black resilience. He also profusely thanked his wife and children for their ongoing support.<\/p>\n

Laurencin is the first engineer to receive the Spingarn medal honor, the fourth physician, and the fifth scientist. He serves as the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at UConn.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to celebrate Dr. Laurencin and this important award as we move into Black History month,\u201d said Carl Lejuez, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. \u201cWe have a chance to celebrate him as he receives an award so meaningful that it can stand as a crown jewel in a trophy cabinet that is bursting at the seams. Clearly, UConn is lucky to have Dr. Laurencin, and it is truly our pleasure to celebrate him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lejuez added: \u201cThis recognition, the highest honor from the NAACP, is so well deserved for one of UConn\u2019s most accomplished and renowned faculty members and leaders. He is also a wonderful mentor to so many. Each of us are connected by our admiration and respect for Dr. Laurencin and his significant body of work, and the way he has touched in so many positive ways so many individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scot Esdaile, member of the NAACP National Board of Directors and president of the Connecticut State Conference of the NAACP, also spoke at the event. \u201cThis award is big. This is well deserved. The whole Connecticut NAACP loves you and we thank you for all the great work. It\u2019s really amazing that he was chosen by this distinguished group. This is the highest award you can get from the NAACP.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean a lot to us\u2026our great Cato Laurencin,\u201d said Incoming UConn Interim President Dr. Radenka Maric. \u201cOn behalf of the entire University of Connecticut, I want to extend my congratulations. This is a great day for not only our University but our entire State.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maric concluded, \u201cI can think of no one more inspiring in the field of science, technology, and medicine than Dr. Cato Laurencin. I call him a global scientist because his work is in every corner of this planet and his students are citizens of the world and he is a citizen of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Incoming Interim CEO and EVP of Health Affairs for UConn Health and dean of UConn School of Medicine, Dr. Bruce T. Liang adds: \u201cCongratulations Dr. Laurencin for your Spingarn Medal award from the NAACP. This is well-deserved for you and your pioneering work on regenerative engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n

While U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal could not be in attendance, Interim President Maric shared on his behalf his best wishes with Laurencin for this major honor and presented him with a U.S Senate Certificate of Special Recognition for being honored with the NAACP Spingarn Medal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Laurencin said, accepting the certificate, honor, and to all the guests in attendance on Jan. 28. \u201cI am so honored. I look forward to the new things that we do here at the University of Connecticut.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Cato
Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. with his wife Cynthia at the the Spingarn Medal Ceremony held at the Hartford Golf Club on Jan. 28, 2022. (Sean Flynn\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Laurencin\u2019s seminal and singular accomplishments in tissue regeneration, biomaterials science, and nanotechnology, and regenerative engineering, a field he founded, have made him the foremost engineer-physician-scientist in the world. His breakthrough achievements have resulted in transformative advances in improving human life.\u00a0 His fundamental contributions to materials science and engineering include the introduction of nanotechnology into the biomaterials field for regeneration.<\/p>\n

Laurencin is the first surgeon in history to be elected to all four national academies: the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors. He is the first person in history to receive the oldest\/highest award 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\u2019s Award). In science, he received the Philip Hauge Abelson Prize given \u201cfor signal contributions to the advancement of science in the United States.\u201d In technology and inventorship, Laurencin is a laureate of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, America\u2019s highest honor for technological achievement, awarded by President Barack Obama at the White House.<\/p>\n

In July, when the NAACP announced Laurencin as the 2021 winner, Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the organization, said: \u201cDr. Laurencin\u2019s contribution to furthering humanity\u2019s collective achievement in the field of science and engineering is extraordinary. As a pioneer of the new field, regenerative engineering, he is shaping the landscape of cell-based therapy, gene therapy, and immunomodulation. Named as one of the 100 Engineers of the Modern Era by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, he has received countless awards for his transformative work. The NAACP is proud to present Dr. Laurencin with our highest recognition and join the chorus of those that realize what his work means globally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laurencin received his BSE in chemical engineering from Princeton University, his MD,\u00a0magna cum laude<\/em>\u00a0from the Harvard Medical School, and his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering\/biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the CEO of The Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering.<\/p>\n

As the nation\u2019s oldest civil rights organization, the NAACP remains a fixture in fighting for civil rights and social justice for all. Through its annual awards, it highlights the achievements of individuals and our branches, trailblazers who are actively on the front lines driving progress in business, law, education, and other sectors. In honoring their work and commitment, the NAACP aims to further the legacy of its organization, while championing future generations of civil rights leaders.<\/p>\n

Watch the livestream of University of Connecticut\u2019s special reception paying tribute to Dr. Cato T. Laurencin on January 28, 2022.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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