The Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Travel Fellowship Award at the World Biomaterials Congress in South Korea – UConn Today

Named in honor of a distinguished member of the Society for Biomaterials, the Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Travel Fellowship supports underrepresented undergraduate students studying the field of biomaterials.  The Fellowship provides the resources needed to attend the annual meeting of the Society for Biomaterials, and to become a member of the Biomaterials Society. The goal of this initiative is to stimulate/encourage recipients to pursue a career in biomaterials.

The 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Biomaterials was held at the World Biomaterials Congress in South Korea on May 29, 2024.  The Cato T. Laurencin Travel Fellowship recipients were Valentina Cespedes from University of Texas at Dallas and Daphna Fertil from Lafayette College. The fellowship includes registration, airfare, hotel, transfers, and meals to the 2024 World Biomaterials Congress

Studies conducted by the National Science Foundation and others have concluded that African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Native Alaskans are disproportionally underrepresented in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Their underrepresentation represents a barrier to excellence in these fields.

Dr. Laurencin has worked in areas of inclusion and equity throughout his career. His work includes creating and establishing programs involving students through high school, college, graduate, fellow, and faculty levels. He created and established the M-1 Mentoring Program at UConn with funding from the CT Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus which provides protected time for faculty mentoring those underrepresented in STEM. Laurencin has received Diversity and Inclusion awards from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Biomedical Engineering Society, and the Society for Biomaterials. Laurencin created the IDEAL pathway, which stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-racism, and Learning, as a plan to achieve justice and equity. Various organizations are looking to adopt the IDEAL Pathway as they work to create and enhance systems to promote a more just society.

Laurencin is a professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He is the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UConn. He is the Chief Executive Office of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, an Institute created in his honor. He earned a B.S.E in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University, an M.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Medical School, and his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology from MIT.