Cato Laurencin is the first surgeon in history to be elected to four national academies, including the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Inventors. He was the first person in history to be given both the Walsh McDermott Medal and the Simon Ramo Founder’s Award, which are the most prestigious awards granted by the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering respectively.
Laurencin received his Bachelor of Science and Engineering from Princeton University before graduating magna cum laude with an MD from Harvard Medical School, where he earned the Robinson Award for Surgery. He simultaneously pursued a PhD in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was awarded the title of Hugh Hampton Young Fellow.
Dr. Laurencin is the recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest honor for technological achievement in America, which President Barack Obama bestowed on him. President Obama also presented him with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math, and Engineering Mentoring on a separate occasion. He also received the Presidential Faculty Fellowship Award from President Bill Clinton.
Dr. Laurencin has been honored for mentoring underrepresented minority students and was given the American Association for the Advancement of Science Mentor Award and the Beckman Award for Mentoring. He is the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Connecticut, where he teaches in several disciplines of interest. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering and the Director of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical, and Engineering Sciences at the University of Connecticut, and the Founder of the Regenerative Engineering Society. To learn more about Dr. Laurencin’s achievements, visit: https://facultydirectory.uchc.edu/profile?profileId=Laurencin-Cato.