Kathryn Jeanne DeLaurentis passed away peacefully in Silver Spring, Maryland on April 17, 2026.
She was born July 16, 1959 in Grove City, Pennsylvania and attended Mt. Vernon High School and Ashland College in Ohio. She furthered her education at Rutgers University, earning a Bachelor of Science in 1999, Master of Science in 2002, and Doctor of Philosophy in 2004 in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Her focus was in Robotics Advanced Design and Development; and Electro-Mechanical Assistive Rehabilitation Technologies. Her work with Prosthetic, Orthotic and other Rehabilitative Robotic Assistive Devices Actuated by Smart Materials received a patent in 2002.
Kathryn’s career included work at the University of South Florida in Tampa and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Her colleagues at the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health remember how her expertise, combined with her warm and kind demeanor, made others seek out her guidance, and she touched many lives through her kindness and dedication.
Kathryn joined CDRH in 2014 as a Lead Reviewer in the Division of Neurological and Physical Medicine Devices. She dedicated her time to reviewing medical devices, such as wheelchairs, ensuring safe and effective products made it to users who needed them. She went above her regular duties to work on the development of international standards to test wheelchairs and their components to ensure consistency and safety on a worldwide level.
Most recently, she served as a Policy Analyst in the Office of Regulatory Programs, assisting reviewers who navigate complicated policies and apply them to their work. She made significant contributions across many areas, including the review of physical medicine devices, standards review, and technical solutions to review work hurdles. She was always generous in sharing her deep expertise with others, taking extra time to explain and work through complicated problems.
Kathryn’s parents, C. Charles DeLaurentis and Sara Luciani DeLaurentis; sisters, Christine J. DeLaurentis and Barbara D. Wade; as well as brothers-in-law, Chris Wade and Dave Coulter preceded her in death.
She is survived by siblings, Eileen Coulter, Peter DeLaurentis, John DeLaurentis, Jim DeLaurentis, Elizabeth DeLaurentis, and Michael DeLaurentis. Four sisters-in-law, five nephews, four nieces, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews survive her.
Kathryn was a firm believer in the role of science to better enrich our lives. As such, in lieu of funeral condolences, the family wish to honor her memory through contributions toward cancer research.
Our gratitude goes to her caregivers at Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center and Casey House Montgomery Hospice in Rockville, Maryland.
Her cremains will be interred near her parents at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. She rests in peace with Mom, Dad, Barb, Christine, grand-parents, aunts, uncles, and Dempsey-doodle-dog who have gone before her.
Kathryn was a beloved sister and aunt. She will be missed by her entire Luciani and DeLaurentis families.