Scientific American magazine named Dr. Cato Laurencin one of the top 50 innovators in 2007. Dr. Laurencin and his team at the University of Virginia were recognized for developing a synthetic scaffold that promotes regeneration of the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee.

Laurencin also was named the inaugural winner of the Robert A. Bland Award, newly established by the School of Engineering and Applied Science at U.Va. He was honored in recognition of his extraordinary achievements in the field of engineering and for being an inspiration to other African American students and faculty members. The award is named after the first African American to receive an undergraduate degree from U.Va.

Dr. Laurencin earned his B.S.E. in chemical engineering from Princeton in 1980, followed by an M.D. from Harvard and a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering/biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the chair of the U.Va. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, orthopaedic surgeon-in-chief of the U.Va. Health System, and professor of biomedical engineering and chemical engineering in U.Va.’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.