Photo of Caroline N. Dealy, PhD

Caroline N. Dealy, PhD

Professor, Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine
Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Dental Medicine
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine
Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine
Academic Office Location:
Orthodontics
UConn Health
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-3705
Phone: 860-679-1193
Fax: 860-679-2910
Website(s):

Dealy Website

Accelerate UConn Technology Entrepreneurship Training Program, Institutional Faculty Liaison

UConn-TIP Innovation Fellows Program, Founder and Director

Education
DegreeInstitutionMajor
BSUniversity of New HampshireAnimal Science / Pre-Veterinary
PhDUniversity of ConnecticutMolecular Cell Biology / Developmental Biology
PostdocUConn HealthCartilage Biology

Awards
Name of Award/HonorAwarding Organization
Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, Elected Member (2024)Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering
ELAM (Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine) National Training Program Selected Participant (2024-2025 Cohort)Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program
Provost's Award for Outstanding Service (2024)University of Connecticut Office of the Provost
Connecticut Women of Innovation: Academic Innovation and Leadership, Finalist (2024)Connecticut Technology Council
Connecticut Women of Innovation: Innovation in Post-Secondary Education, Nominee (2019)Connecticut Technology Council
Osborn Teaching Award, First Place Runner Up (2017)UConn Graduate School
Excellence in Mentorship, Young Innovative Investigator Program (2016)UConn Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences
Connecticut Women of Innovation: Academic Innovation and Leadership, SemifinalistConnecticut Technology Council
Outstanding Research and Service, NomineeUConn School of Dental Medicine
UConn School of Dental Medicine Outstanding Research and Service, Nominee (2015)UConn School of Dental Medicine
Connecticut Women of Innovation, Entrepreneurial Innovation and Leadership, Nominee (2012)Connecticut Technology Council
Basil O’Connor Research Scholar Award (1993)March of Dimes Foundation
Donaghue Foundation New Investigator Award (1992)Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation
Eli Lilly Research Award (1990)Eli Lilly Corporation and the American Teratology Society
James Wilson Award for Research Excellence (1990)American Teratology Society

Dr. Dealy teaches courses on Clinical Innovation for medical and dental students, as well as Skeletal Biology, Developmental Biology, Stem Cells, and Scientific Writing for graduate students.

She is the former director of UConn Health’s PhD program in Skeletal Biology and the founder and former director of Eggsperiencing Biology, a middle school STEM outreach program.

Dr. Dealy has mentored 47 trainees in her research laboratory, from junior faculty to undergraduate students; 50% of her mentees are underrepresented, and 70% are women.  

Name & DescriptionCategoryRoleTypeScopeStart YearEnd Year
Research Histology Core Advisory CommitteeAdvisory CommitteeAdvisory memberUConn HealthUniversity2024
Dental Senate, Department Representative Education CommitteeRepresentativeUConn HealthUniversity2024
QuantumCT Workforce and Education Committee OtherChairOtherState2023
QuantumCT Communications Committee Otherco-ChairOtherState2023
Skeletal Biology and Regeneration program Fall SymposiumEducation Committeeco-organizerUConn HealthUniversity2022
Connecticut Chapter: Women in BioProfessional/Scientific Organizationfounding memberExternalNational2020
Connecticut Women in Bio Mentors and Advisors CommitteeProfessional/Scientific Organizationco-ChairExternalState2020
Graduate Faculty CouncilEducation CommitteeElected Institutional RepresentativeUConn HealthUniversity20202022
Accelerate UConn i-Corps training siteOtherfaculty liaisionUConn-StorrsUniversity2020
Institutional Stem Cell Research Oversight CommitteeOthermemberUConn-StorrsUniversity2019
Skeletal Biology and Regeneration Program Alumni & Awards CommitteeEducation CommitteeChairUConn HealthUniversity2018
Institutional Financial Conflict of Interest CommitteeOtherChairUConn-StorrsUniversity2017
Connecticut PIE (Partnership in Innovation and Education) programEducation CommitteeProgram Founder and DirectorExternalState20172020
Dental Faculty Assessment CommitteeEducation Committeeco-ChairUConn HealthUniversity20172018
EggsPeriencing Biology STEM Outreach ProgramCommunity ServiceProgram Founder and DirectorExternalLocal20152018
Young Innovative Investigator ProgramAdvisory CommitteeAdvisory memberUConn-StorrsUniversity2014
StemCONN Scientific ConferenceProfessional/Scientific OrganizationOrganizing Chair; co-ChairExternalState20132021
NSF Organismal Systems Grant Review PanelsResearch CommitteeReviewerExternalNational20132016
Skeletal Biology and Regeneration ProgramEducation CommitteeProgram Director, Assoc Director, ex officio DirectorUConn HealthUniversity20122018
TIP Innovation Fellows ProgramEducation CommitteeProgram Founder and DirectorUConn-StorrsUniversity2012
Dept of Defense Grant Review Panels (17 different panels over 12 years)Research CommitteeReviewer (17 times) or Chair (4 times)ExternalNational2011
NIH Developmental Biology Grant Review PanelResearch CommitteereviewerExternalNational20082010
Biomedical Sciences Admissions CommitteeEducation Committeemember and reviewerUConn HealthUniversity20062018
NIH Aging and Geriatrics Grant Review PanelResearch CommitteereviewerExternalNational20032003

Research, Innovation, Leadership, and Major Service Roles:

Research: Dr. Dealy’s research is based on her long-standing interest in the human skeleton. Her research is exploring the cells and signals that control cartilage development and growth, as well as the response of adult cartilage to injury and aging that lead to disabling conditions like osteoarthritis. Her current studies are identifying agents that activate latent regenerative capacity by articular cartilage tissue.  These agents offer clinical utility for improving cartilage repair outcomes or as treatments for osteoarthritis.

Innovation: Dr. Dealy is committed to translating the results of her research toward clinical benefit through research commercialization. She is an inventor with two issued patents and a serial startup founder.  She is an alumnus of the NSF-iCorps Accelerate UConn entrepreneurship training program and the ABCT Accelerator for Biosciences in Connecticut program.

Leadership: Dr. Dealy is active in the innovation ecosystem at UConn and in the State and serves as faculty liaison for UConn’s flagship entrepreneurship training program, Accelerate UConn.  She is also founder and director of the TIP Innovation Fellows program, a student internship program that places UConn students with UConn-affiliated startup companies for mentored entrepreneurship experience (220 student and 70 companies have participated to date). She is also prior founder and director of the Connecticut Partnership for Innovation and Education (PIE), a consortium 9 Connecticut institutions of higher education that engaged 188 students in bioscience research and career development.  Currently, Dr. Dealy is leading a state-wide workforce development and education initiative for QuantumCT, Connectiut’s quantum technology engine.

Community Service: Dr. Dealy is a founding member of the Connecticut Chapter of Women in Bio, a professional leadership organization, and co-chairs its mentorship and advising committee. Dr. Dealy is also a former chair and co-chair of StemCONN, Connecticut’s biannual bioscience and stem cell conference.

Ongoing projects include:

• Identifying growth factor signals that promote regenerative responses in injured articular cartilage
• Developing translatable therapeutic approaches for osteoarthritis 

Not Accepting Lab Rotation Students at this time.

Please see Dr. Dealy for more information on research opportunities.

Ongoing projects include:

• Identifying growth factor signals that promote regenerative responses in injured articular cartilage
• Developing translatable therapeutic approaches for osteoarthritis 

Journal Articles

Conference Papers

Reviews

  • The potential of human embryonic stem cell for articular cartilage repair and osteoarthritis treatment
    Fisher M, Ferrari D, Li Y, Shepard JB, Patterson S, Anderson N, Dealy CN Rheumatology Current Research 2012 Jan;((S3)):
Title or AbstractTypeSponsor/EventDate/YearLocation
Women Technology Pioneers in ConnecticutPanel DiscussionJackson Laboratories for Genomic Medicine and Women in Bio professional leadership organization2023Jackson Laboratories for Genomic Medicine, Farmington CT
Education for Connecticut's Quantum WorkforcePanel DiscussionQuantumCT 2023Hartford, CT
Directed Cell Migration by Articular Cartilage Superficial Zone CellsTalkICRS: International Cartilage Repair Society2022Berlin, Germany
Biologic Approach for Articular Cartilage RepairLectureAOSSM: American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine 2022remote
Strategies to reactivate limb regenerative potential in higher vertebrates: Panel DiscussionNICHD National Strategic Plan on Human Limb Regeneration Working Group 2021remote
Innovation in Cartilage Repair and Regeneration StrategiesLectureSema4 Incorporated2019Branford, CT
ErbB Signaling in Mammalian Digit RegenerationTalk14th International Limb Development Conference2019Barcelona, Spain
Characteristics for Entrepreneurship SuccessLectureHealthcare Innovation and Entrepreneurship Essentials Workshop2019School of Nursing, Storrs CT
Stem Cells and Cartilage RepairPanel DiscussionAdvanceCT: Select USA International Investor Forum Japan2019remote
Balancing Articular Cartilage Homeostasis in Joint Health and AgingTalkUConn-Jackson Conference on Aging2014Storrs, CT
Developing a Therapy for Osteoarthritic Cartilage Damage using hESC-derived Chondrogenic CellsTalkTherapeutics Discovery Symposium2013Boston, MA
The Future of Stem CellsPanel DiscussionColin McEnroe Show, National Public Radio2013Hartford, CT
Developmental, Molecular and Cellular Strategies in Cartilage RepairTalkLehigh University Dept of Biology2013Bethlehem PA
Opportunity at the Interface of Academics and BiotechnologyTalkUConn School of Dental Medicine Dean’s Seminar2012UConn Health, Farmington, CT
Genetic and Cellular Strategies in Cartilage DiseaseTalk2011 Howard Hughes Lecture Series2011Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
Stem Cells for Profit?Panel DiscussionStemConn 20112011Farmington, CT
Genetic and Cellular Strategies in Cartilage DiseaseLectureHoward Hughes Lecture Series2011Wesleyan University, Middletown CT
ErbB Signaling in Cartilage and BoneTalk10th International Limb Development Conference2006Awaji, Japan
Patterning of the Vertebrate LimbTalkNational Institute of Child Health and Development1999Bethesda, MD