Lebares Resilience Lab 

Pioneering the Science of Surgeon Wellbeing

At the Lebares Resilience Lab, our mission is to unlock human potential across all aspects of life by enhancing resilience in operative, clinical, and personal settings. We focus on the Science of Surgeon Wellbeing in three primary ways:

1.     Developing tailored interventions using a human-centered design approach to boost resilience

2.     Employing national datasets and mixed-methods research to identify workplace factors that can be targeted for change

3.     Applying implementation science best practices to promote wellbeing on both national and international scales

Our flagship program, the Enhanced Stress Resilience Training (ESRT), is a customized curriculum designed specifically for surgeons. It has been tested through randomized control trials in real healthcare settings. The ESRT program hones emotional regulation, cognitive appraisal, and focus, resulting in meaningful benefits for participants. Our data reveals that ESRT significantly improves burnout and global executive function, and enhances neural substrates implicated in emotional regulation and self-awareness, ultimately benefiting complex decision-making, professionalism, and interpersonal relationships.

We use implementation science and our experience to devise strategies that increase the adoption, accessibility, and sustainability of ESRT. By fostering psychological safety, emotional intelligence, and appreciation, we believe that training across various programs can lead to better quality and safety outcomes.

Besides ESRT, our lab is committed to exploring the systems and culture that influence surgeon wellbeing. By pinpointing actionable targets, we aim to address burnout on multiple levels, empowering physicians to drive more extensive change and reignite their passion for practicing medicine.