The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering

02/03/2026

The Second World Congress on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

12/29/2025

Second World Congress on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
January 27 - 31, 2026, Saint Lucia
Harbor Club Saint Lucia, Curio Collection by HILTON

Springer Nature’s The Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and the Connecticut National Medical Association (CTNMA) in conjunction with the National Medical Association (NMA), St. Lucia Medical and Dental Association, W. Montague Cobb /NMA Health Institute, the University of Connecticut, and the Government of St. Lucia will host the Second World Congress on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in St. Lucia from January 27, 2026, to January 31, 2026.

The intent of this hybrid event is to encourage professionals to come together to discuss racial and ethnic health disparities and how to overcome them.

Springer Nature’s The Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities reports on the scholarly progress of work to understand, address, and ultimately eliminate health disparities based on race and ethnicity. Efforts to explore underlying causes of health disparities and to describe interventions that have been undertaken to address racial and ethnic health disparities are featured.

The Imhotep Connecticut National Medical Association Society (CTNMA) is an affiliate of the National Medical Association which represents "a collective voice of African American physicians and the leading force for parity and justice in medicine and the elimination of disparities in health.”

This is a Hybrid event, which comprises both in-person and virtual components.

https://web.cvent.com/event/b5f50d2b-37a1-427a-9710-b95becb9e9a6/summary

https://link.springer.com/journal/40615

https://www.ctnma.org/

https://slmda.org/

https://www.thecobbinstitute.org/

08/18/2025

https://today.uconn.edu/2025/06/dr-cato-t-laurencin-of-uconn-receives-bioactive-materials-lifetime-achievement-award/

Dr. Cato T. Laurencin of UConn Receives Bioactive Materials Lifetime Achievement Award

The Bioactive Materials Lifetime Achievement Award serves as a catalyst for advancing the field, fostering international collaboration, and inspiring innovation.

08/18/2025

https://today.uconn.edu/2025/06/uconns-sir-cato-t-laurencin-recognized-as-springer-nature-editor-of-distinction/

UConn’s Sir Cato T. Laurencin Recognized as Springer Nature Editor of Distinction

Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, Ph.D., K.C.S.L, has received a 2025 Springer Nature Editor of Distinction Award. The award is given to exceptional editors who have demonstrated commitment to upholding scientific accuracy and advancing discovery.

08/18/2025

2025 Dickson Prize in Medicine Goes to Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin of UConn

https://today.uconn.edu/2025/05/the-dickson-prize-is-pitt-school-of-medicines-most-prestigious-annual-award/

Sir Cato T. Laurencin, Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Connecticut, is the recipient of the 2025 Dickson Prize in Medicine, the University of Pittsburgh’s highest honor.

08/18/2025

https://today.uconn.edu/2025/07/professor-sir-cato-t-laurencin-of-uconn-honored-by-the-american-institute-of-medical-and-biological-engineering/

Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin of UConn Honored by the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering

Sir Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., K.C.S.L, was the designated honored guest at the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) President's Circle Reception in Washington, DC.

08/18/2025

https://today.uconn.edu/2025/03/dr-cato-t-laurencin-appointed-knight-commander-of-the-order-of-st-lucia/

Dr. Cato T. Laurencin Appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St. Lucia

Pioneer in regenerative engineering Professor Cato T. Laurencin, is now Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin.

08/18/2025

08/18/2025

https://today.uconn.edu/2025/08/sir-cato-t-laurencin-of-uconn-to-receive-the-2025-blaise-pascal-medal-in-materials-science/

Sir Cato T. Laurencin of UConn to Receive the 2025 Blaise Pascal Medal in Materials Science

Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, PhD, has been named the winner of the 2025 Blaise Pascal Medal in Materials Science from the European Academy of Sciences (EURASC) for his exceptional contributions to the field.

Dr. Laurencin will receive the Blaise Pascal Medal in Material Science at the 2025 Symposium & Ceremony of the European Academy of Sciences, to be held at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) on December 17-18, 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland.

08/18/2025

History
The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering
The University of Connecticut has established The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering in Feburay 2023. This new cross-campus Institute supports a core mission of UConn to foster new ways of thinking and new approaches to find answers in medicine, science, engineering, and technology.

Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering
In late 2018, the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science and the Institute for Regenerative Engineering merged to form the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering. Below is a brief history of both former Institutes.

Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS)
CICATS at UConn was conceived in 2009 under the leadership of Dr. Cato T. Laurencin. It was a cross university translational institute formed on four principles: Education, Innovation, Collaboration, and Integration. CICATS at UConn focused on educating and nurturing established, emerging and future scientists; increasing the number of innovative clinical and translational research projects and moving discoveries into the community quickly and effectively; working collaboratively with regional and national stakeholders to eliminate health care disparities; and forging new partnerships to create a platform for integration of services and initiatives between the University, community, and beyond.

Institute for Regenerative Engineering (IRE)
IRE, also founded by Dr. Laurencin, brought together nationally-recognized experts from the fields of orthopedics and musculoskeletal health; reconstructive sciences; biomedical engineering; craniofacial sciences; stem cell technologies and more. Together, they supported a range of basic and translational research initiatives and constantly refined the curriculum for graduate and undergraduate students within UConn Health and the University. They were committed to mentoring aspiring researchers, and staying on top of the latest developments in their fields.

08/18/2025

Our Foundational Principles

Innovation
The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering believes that regenerative engineering offers solutions and hope for people who have ailments that today are beyond repair.

Education
The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering is committed to promoting the professional development of UConn faculty and students, embracing the diversity of human talent in our communities.

Collaboration
The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering is committed to collaboration, serving as a bridge across the wide range of disciplines dedicated to regenerative engineering research.

Community
The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering believes that interactive community engagement is fundamental to the fulfillment of its societal commitment to the resilience of human function.

Areas of Focus
The grand challenge to regenerate complex tissue and organ systems calls for a paradigm shift that requires a transdisciplinary approach. The field of regenerative engineering uses a convergence approach to create a regenerative toolbox to move beyond individual tissue repair to the regeneration of complex tissues and organ systems.
The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering has defined regenerative engineering as a new field that convergences advanced materials sciences, stem cell sciences, physics, developmental biology, and clinical translation to foster scientific innovation.

Embedded in this new field include the following 5 areas:

Advanced Materials Sciences

The field of materials science has significantly advanced from the level of biodegradable polymers and ceramics to custom designed biomimetic inductive biomaterials with carefully modulated physical, mechanical, and biological properties to enhance the natural regenerative process of the body.

Stem Cell Sciences

The progress in the field of stem cells research represents great scope in regenerative engineering.

Physics

Physical forces play a subtle but crucial part bio-fitness and resilience.

Developmental Biology

Principles found in embryological development and in developmental morphogenesis will ultimately be critical for addressing grand challenges in regeneration.

Clinical Translation

The growing evidence of achieving better functional outcomes in larger animals using a biomaterial approach compared to smaller animals mirrors the translational potential of inductive biomaterials.