UConn’s Dr. Cato T. Laurencin has been elected a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).

CAE members, who are called Academicians in China, hold the highest academic title in the field of engineering in that country. CAE elects members every two years. There are now only 852 members and 49 foreign members worldwide. Election is a lifelong honor.

Laurencin is the first foreign member from the United States to be elected in the field of biomaterials and one of the youngest foreign members to be elected in its history.

“Dr. Laurencin’s work in developing innovative biomaterials for musculoskeletal therapies has represented major shifts in thinking in medicine and engineering,” said Dr. Xingdong Zhang, former president of the Chinese Society for Biomaterials, president-elect of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering, and an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.  “His work has had great impact in China, and throughout the world.”

“It is gratifying to see my work being globally recognized,” said Laurencin who was also recently elected to the India National Academy of Sciences for his longstanding groundbreaking work in materials science.

In addition, Laurencin will be honored by the Society for Biomaterials with its Founders Award at the World Congress of Biomaterials Meeting in May. The Society has recently named an award in his honor, the Cato T. Laurencin, MD, PhD Travel Fellowship, to fund young underrepresented minority students interested in biomaterials research.

Laurencin serves as the eighth University Professor in UConn’s history. He is also the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, director of The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical, and Engineering Sciences, and founder of the Institute for Regenerative Engineering at UConn Health.