Keeping surgeons sharp

Helping surgeons take better care of themselves and their patients with the PEAK Collaborative—a pilot program helping healthcare providers perform at their best.

USC Launched 2025

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Impact

The Performance Education and Applied Knowledge (PEAK) Collaborative is giving clinicians and their teams proven tools to reduce stress and perform at their best—helping them stay resilient, effective, and able to deliver high-quality care. From being more attentive during routine checkups to staying alert during major surgery, when healthcare providers have the resources to take care of themselves and keep thriving in their careers, their patients benefit, too.

62 % of surgeons have considered leaving the field due to burnout

73 % of surgeons find inefficiencies and current tech limiting them from performing to the best of their ability

Challenge

Healthcare providers are asked to perform at their best every day under life-and-death pressure, but nearly half of all providers report burnout, stress, and exhaustion—which puts their health and millions of patients at risk.

So we asked: What if they had the same tools as pro athletes and the military to prepare, recover, and perform at their peak?

Our Plan

We’re leading the Performance Education and Applied Knowledge (PEAK) Collaborative pilot program to study whether surgeons can approach their work like elite athletes preparing for competition—and what that could mean for their well-being and patient care. We’re also exploring what investments hospitals can make to bring performance science into everyday medicine.

Project Goals

Understand what drives performance

We’re seeing how personal values, identity, and strengths shape someone’s approach to work—and whether that affects satisfaction, team culture, and patient care.

Gather Biometric Data

When a person feels good, they perform better, so we’re studying how sleep science, fitness, ergonomics, and nutrition factor into performance and well-being.

Evaluate the impact of performance coaching

Targeted coaching can help surgeons reach their peak—and we want to know if it can also strengthen teamwork, improve job satisfaction, and enhance patient experiences.