Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, PhD

Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Chief Executive Officer,
The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering University of Connecticut

Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, PhD, Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Connecticut (UConn), is the recipient of the 2025 Dickson Prize in Medicine, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s highest honor. He is the founder of the field of regenerative engineering.

Laurencin, who is also a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, of materials science and engineering, and of biomedical engineering, UConn School of Engineering, is CEO of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, a cross-university institute created in his honor.

Laurencin is the leading international figure in polymer science and engineering, as applied to musculoskeletal biology. His broad background and insight into biomaterials and materials chemistry have allowed him to move research from fundamental science to applied research, to research translation and clinical treatment.

Laurencin earned his BSE in chemical engineering from Princeton University; his MD, magna cum laude, from Harvard Medical School; and his PhD in biochemical engineering/biotechnology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He completed an orthopaedic surgery residency and was named chief resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. A specialist in shoulder surgery and sports medicine, he completed his fellowship training at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

Laurencin is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Association (AOA), American College of Surgeons and an elected member of the American Surgical Association. He received the Nicolas Andry Award, the highest honor of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons, the Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughn Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Marshall Urist Award from the Orthopaedic Research Society, and AOA’s Distinguished Contributions to Orthopaedics Award with inclusion in the AOA Awards Hall of Fame. He is the first surgeon in history elected to the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Inventors.

In 2025, he received Knighthood under the auspices of King Charles III of England by the Governor General of Saint Lucia.