UConn’s Dr. Cato T. Laurencin Speaks on Women in STEM and Environmental Crises in Africa
The overarching theme of the Galien Forum centered on health and community actions under the crisis, and attendees participated in panels on how to address and prepare for it.
The Galien Forum Africa, hosted by the Galien Foundation, offers a platform for high-level scientific exchanges on issues of common interest, such as the health priorities of Africa. During these scientific forums, the Prix Galien is also awarded to recipients who have made outstanding achievements in improving the human condition through the development of innovative therapies.
In Africa, Laurencin is a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the Senegalese Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Fellow of the Benin National Academy of Science and Arts. He received the 2019 UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences at the African Union Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
At the University of Connecticut, Laurencin is the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. In 2021, he was given the Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughn Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Laurencin also received the Nicolas Andry Award, the highest honor of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons.
In addition to his work in medicine, Laurencin is also active in social justice and equity. He is the editor-in-chief of The Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, published by Springer Nature. He was the recipient of the Herbert W. Nickens Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges for his groundbreaking work in social justice, equity, and fairness. Laurencin also co-founded the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute, which is an organization dedicated to addressing racial health disparities.
Laurencin is a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, materials science and engineering, and biomedical engineering at UConn. He earned his B.S.E in chemical engineering from Princeton University and his medical degree, Magna Cum Laude, from Harvard Medical School simultaneously with his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering/biotechnology from M.I.T. Laurencin is also the first engineer-scientist-surgeon to be elected to all four National Academies: the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors.
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