The Larry L. Hench Lifetime Achievement Award for innovation and translation is presented by the Bioceramics Division and is given annually to deserving individual(s) in recognition of lifetime dedication, vision, and accomplishments in advancing the field of Bioceramics, particularly towards innovation in the field and contribution of that innovation to translation of technology towards clinical use. Professor Larry Hench was a true pioneer of innovation in ceramic and glass materials, and is particularly known for his invention of Bioglass, the first synthetic biomaterial discovered to form a bond with bone.
William Bonfield 2021 Award Presentation Video
The award is presented at the ACerS Annual Meeting/MS&T. The Larry L. Hench Lifetime Achievement Awardee shall receive a certificate, glass piece, and complimentary registration. In addition, the awardee will receive the invitation of a lecture, which will be presented in a bioceramics-focused symposium at the meeting.
Nomination Process
Nominations are to be recommended by a sponsor, who is a standing member of The American Ceramic Society.
The nomination profile should include:
- Sponsor’s executive summary
- Nominee’s latest CV
- Two supporting letters
ACerS membership is not required.
The deadline for nominations is January 31 in the year preceding the MS&T conference.
Nominations, including a written statement of the nominee’s qualifications and contributions, should be sent to the division chair:
Annabel Braem
KU Leuven
Award Winners
Cato T. Laurencin
Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. is the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Connecticut. He is Professor of Chemical Engineering, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the school. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering.
Dr. Laurencin earned a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University, his M.D., Magna Cum Laude, from the Harvard Medical School, and his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Laurencin is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He is the first surgeon in history elected to all four of these academies.
In engineering and medicine, he is the first person in history to receive the oldest/highest award of the National Academy of Engineering (the Simon Ramo Founder’s Award) and the oldest/highest award of the National Academy of Medicine (the Walsh McDermott Medal). In science, he received the Philip Hauge Abelson Prize given ‘for signal contributions to the advancement of science in the United States’. In technology and inventorship, Dr. Laurencin is a laureate of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, America’s highest honor for technological achievement, awarded by President Barack Obama in ceremonies at the White House.
Dr. Laurencin is known as a world leader in biomaterials, polymeric materials science, nanotechnology, stem cell science, bioceramics, drug delivery systems, and regenerative engineering, a field he has pioneered. He has made fundamental and seminal contributions to materials science and engineering, including the introduction of nanotechnology into the biomaterials field for regeneration.
He is a life member of the American Ceramic Society and has lectured on Bioceramics as the prestigious Edward Orton, Jr. Memorial Lecturer of The American Ceramic Society and as the Rustum Roy Lecturer of The American Ceramic Society.