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Research

Surgical coaching is not based on intuition. It is based on evidence.

The Academy for Surgical Coaching was built on more than a decade of peer-reviewed research demonstrating that structured coaching improves surgical performance, reduces operative times, enhances skill retention, and supports surgeon well-being. Our programs are grounded in validated assessment tools, randomized and observational studies, and research conducted across multiple institutions and specialties.

Below is a selection of the published research that informs our work. These studies span the full arc of surgical coaching: from establishing its efficacy, to refining coaching techniques, to measuring its impact on patient outcomes and institutional performance.

The Academy is committed to advancing the evidence base for surgical coaching. If you are a researcher interested in collaboration, or an institution looking for the data to support a coaching investment, we welcome the conversation.

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  Megan S Orlando, Caprice C Greenberg, Sudha R Pavuluri Quamme, Andrew Yee, Adrienne E Faerber, Cara R King
Surgical coaching in Obstetrics and Gynecology: an evidence-based strategy to elevate surgical education and promote lifelong learning
  American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
  Cailey Gleeson
How Cleveland Clinic has saved $133M in physician retention
  Becker's Hospital Review
  Sofia Valanci-Aroesty, Liane S. Feldman, Julio F. Fiore Jr, Lawrence Lee, Gerald M. Fried & Carmen L. Mueller
Considerations for designing and implementing a surgical peer coaching program: an international survey
  Surgical Endoscopy
  Faerber, Adrienne E.; Yee, Andrew; Pradarelli, Jason C.; Pavuluri Quamme, Sudha R.; Dombrowski, Janet C.; King, Cara; Greenberg, Caprice C.
An Academy for Surgical Coaching and Johnson & Johnson Institute Surgical Coaching Program Improves Procedural Confidence and Goal Progression
  Academy for Surgical Coaching - Whitepaper
  Pradarelli, Jason C.; Delisle, Megan; Briggs, Alexandra; Smink, Douglas S.; Yule, Steven
Identifying Naturalistic Coaching Behavior Among Practicing Surgeons in the Operating Room
  Ann Surg. 2021 Jan 1;273(1):181-186.
  Varban, Oliver A.; Thumma, Jyothi R.; Carlin, Arthur M.; Ghaferi, Amir A.; Dimick, Justin B.; Finks, Jonathan F.
Evaluating the Impact of Surgeon Self-Awareness by Comparing Self vs Peer Ratings of Surgical Skill and Outcomes for Bariatric Surgery
  Ann Surg. 2020 Nov 12.
  Kratzke, Ian M.; Kapadia, Muneera R.
Surgical Coaching-It's All About the Relationship (Invited Commentary)
  JAMA Surg. 2021 Jan 1;156(1):50.
  Pradarelli, Jason C.; Yule, Steven; Panda, Nikhil; Craig, Molly; Lowery, Kurt W.; Ashley, Stanley W.; Gee, Denise W.; Waters, Peter M.; Knight, Jim; Smink, Douglas S.
Optimizing the Implementation of Surgical Coaching Through Feedback From Practicing Surgeons
  JAMA Surg. 2021 Jan 1;156(1):42-49.
  Foley, Katarina; Granchi, Nelson; Reid, Jessica; Leopardi, Lisa; Maddern, Guy
Peer Coaching as a Form of Performance Improvement: What Surgeons Really Think
  J Surg Educ. Mar-Apr 2021;78(2):525-532.
  Stulberg, Jonah J.; Huang, Reiping; Kreutzer, Lindsey; Ban, Kristen; Champagne, Bradley J.; Steele, Scott R.; Johnson, Julie K.; Holl, Jane L.; Greenberg, Caprice C.; Bilimoria, Karl Y.
Association Between Surgeon Technical Skills and Patient Outcomes
  JAMA Surg. 2020 Oct 1;155(10):960-968.
  Pradarelli, Jason C.; Yule, Steven; Panda, Nikhil; Lowery, Kurt W.; Lagoo, Janaka; Gee, Denise W.; Ashley, Stanley W.; Waters, Peter M.; Gawande, Atul A.; Smink, Douglas S.
Surgeons' Coaching Techniques in the Surgical Coaching for Operative Performance Enhancement (SCOPE) Program
  Ann Surg. 2020 Jul 24.
  Jensen, John N.; Lin, Kant Y.
Discussion: Feasibility of Surgeon-Delivered Audit and Feedback Incorporating Peer Surgical Coaching to Reduce Fistula Incidence following Cleft Palate Repair: A Pilot Trial
  Plast Reconstr Surg. 2020 Jul;146(1):154-155.
  Sitzman, Thomas J.; Tse, Raymond W.; Allori, Alexander C.; Fisher, David M.; Samson, Thomas D.; Beals, Stephen P.; Matic, Damir B.; Marcus, Jeffrey R.; Grossoehme, Daniel H.; Britto, Maria T.
Feasibility of Surgeon-Delivered Audit and Feedback Incorporating Peer Surgical Coaching to Reduce Fistula Incidence following Cleft Palate Repair: A Pilot Trial
  Plast Reconstr Surg. 2020 Jul;146(1):144-153.
  Pradarelli, Jason C.; Pavuluri Quamme, Sudha R.; Yee, Andrew; Faerber, Adrienne E.; Dombrowski, Janet C.; King, Cara; Greenberg, Caprice C.
Surgical coaching to achieve the ABMS vision for the future of continuing board certification
  Am J Surg. 2021 Jan;221(1):4-10.
  Pradarelli, Jason C.; Hu, Yue-Yung; Dimick, Justin B.; Greenberg, Caprice C.
The Value of Surgical Coaching Beyond Training
  Adv Surg. 2020 Sep;54:31-47.
  Neville, Angela L.; Dauphine, Christine; de Virgilio, Christian
Assessing Surgical Coaching, a Sport in Its Infancy: The Wisconsin Surgical Coaching Rubric
  JAMA Surg. 2020 Jun 1;155(6):492.
  Vande Walle, Kara A.; Pavuluri Quamme, Sudha R.; Beasley, Heather L.; Leverson, Glen E.; Ghousseini, Hala N.; Dombrowski, Janet C.; Fry, Brian T.; Dimick, Justin B.; Wiegmann, Douglas A.; Greenberg, Caprice C.
Development and Assessment of the Wisconsin Surgical Coaching Rubric
  JAMA Surg. 2020 Jun 1;155(6):486-492.
  Vande Walle, Kara A.; Pavuluri Quamme, Sudha R.; Leverson, Glen E.; Engler, Tedi; Dombrowski, Janet C.; Wiegmann, Douglas A.; Dimick, Justin B.; Greenberg, Caprice C.
Association of Personality and Thinking Style With Effective Surgical Coaching
  JAMA Surg. 2020 Jun 1;155(6):480-485.
  El-Gabri, Deena; McDow, Alexandria D.; Pavuluri Quamme, Sudha; Hooper-Lane, Christopher; Greenberg, Caprice C.; & Long, Kristin L.
Surgical Coaching for Advancement of Global Surgical Skills and Capacity: A Systematic Review
  J Surg Res. 2020 Feb;246:499-505.
  Perrone, Kenneth H.; Yang, Su; Mohamadipanah, Hossein; Wise, Brett; Witt, Anna; Goll, Cassidi; Pugh, Carla
Translating motion tracking data into resident feedback: An opportunity for streamlined video coaching
  Am J Surg. 2020 Apr;219(4):552-556.
  Rojas-Muñoz, Edgar; Cabrera, Maria E.; Lin, Chengyuan; Andersen, Daniel; Popescu, Voicu; Anderson, Kathryn; Zarzaur, Ben L.; Mullis, Brian; Wachs, Juan P.
The System for Telementoring with Augmented Reality (STAR): A head-mounted display to improve surgical coaching and confidence in remote areas
  Surgery. 2020 Apr;167(4):724-731.
  Byrnes, Mary E.; Engler, Tedi A.; Greenberg, Caprice C.; Fry, Brian T.; Dombrowski, Janet & Dimick, Justin B.
Coaching as a Mechanism to Challenge Surgical Professional Identities
  Ann Surg. 2019 Dec 2.
  Bull, Nicholas B.; Silverman, Candice D. & Bonrath, Esther M.
Targeted surgical coaching can improve operative self-assessment ability: A single-blinded nonrandomized trial
  Surgery. 2020 Feb;167(2):308-313.
  Lin, Jules & Reddy, Rishindra M.
Teaching, Mentorship and Coaching in Surgical Education
  Thorac Surg Clin. 2019 Aug;29(3):311-320.
  Hathaway, Hugh; Heinsohn, Torben
On the Merits of Surgical Coaching in Continuous Professional Development: Comments on "Coaching Experts: Applications to Surgeons and Continuing Professional Development"
  Surg Innov. 2019 Apr;26(2):265-266.
  Alameddine, Mitchell B.; Englesbe, Michael J.; Waits, Seth A.
A Video-Based Coaching Intervention to Improve Surgical Skill in Fourth-Year Medical Students
  J Surg Educ. 2018 Nov;75(6):1475-1479.
  Mazer, Laura M.; Hu, Yue-Yung; Arriaga, Alexander F.; Greenberg, Caprice C.; Lipsitz, Stuart R.; Gawande, Atul A.; Smink, Douglas S. & Yule, Steven J.
Evaluating Surgical Coaching: A Mixed Methods Approach Reveals More Than Surveys Alone
  J Surg Educ. 2018 Nov;75(6):1520-1525.
  Van Batavia, Jason P.; Shukla, Aseem R.; Joshi, Rakesh S.; Reddy, Pramod P.
Pediatric Urology and Global Health: Why Now and How to Build a Successful Global Outreach Program
  Urol Clin North Am. 2018 Nov;45(4):623-631.
  Shubeck, Sarah P.; Kanters, Arielle E.; Sandhu, Gurjit; Greenberg, Caprice C.; & Dimick, Justin B.
Dynamics within peer-to-peer surgical coaching relationships: Early evidence from the Michigan Bariatric Surgical Collaborative
  Surgery. 2018 Aug;164(2):185-188.
  Greenberg, Caprice C.; Ghousseini, Hala N.; Pavuluri Quamme, Sudha R.; Beasley, Heather L.; Frasier, Lane L.; Brys, Nicole A.; Dombrowski, Janet C.;& Wiegmann, Douglas A.; Wisconsin Surgical Coaching Program
A Statewide Surgical Coaching Program Provides Opportunity for Continuous Professional Development
  Ann Surg. 2018 May;267(5):868-873.
  Timberlake, Matthew D.; Stefanidis, Dimitrios; Gardner, Aimee K.
Examining the impact of surgical coaching on trainee physiologic response and basic skill acquisition
  Surg Endosc. 2018 Oct;32(10):4183-4190.
  Ibrahim, Andrew M.; Dimick, Justin
What Metrics Accurately Reflect Surgical Quality?
  Annu Rev Med. 2018 Jan 29;69:481-491.
  Kaijser, Mirjam; van Ramshorst, Gabrielle; van Wagensveld, Bart; Pierie, Jean-Pierre
Current Techniques of Teaching and Learning in Bariatric Surgical Procedures: A Systematic Review
  J Surg Educ. May-Jun 2018;75(3):730-738.
  Moore, Maureen D.; Abelson, Jonathan S.; O’Mahoney, Paul; Bagautdinov, Iskander; Yeo, Heather; Watkins, Anthony C.
Using GoPro to Give Video-Assisted Operative Feedback for Surgery Residents: A Feasibility and Utility Assessment
  J Surg Educ. Mar-Apr 2018;75(2):497-502.
  Greenberg, Jacob A.; Jolles, Sally; Sullivan, Sarah; Quamme, Sudha Pavuluri; Funk, Luke M.; Lidor, Anne O; Greenberg, Caprice; Pugh, Carla M.
A structured, extended training program to facilitate adoption of new techniques for practicing surgeons
  Surg Endosc. 2018 Jan;32(1):217-224.
  Gagnon, Louise-Helene; Abbasi, Nimrah
Systematic review of randomized controlled trials on the role of coaching in surgery to improve learner outcomes
  Am J Surg. 2018 Jul;216(1):140-146.
  Moulder, Janelle K.; Louie, Michelle; Toubia, Tarek; Schiff, Lauren D.; Siedhoff, Matthew T.
The role of simulation and warm-up in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery
  Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2017 Aug;29(4):212-217.
  Beasley, Heather L.; Ghousseini, Hala N.; Wiegmann, Douglas A.;& et al
Strategies for Building Peer Surgical Coaching Relationships
  JAMA Surg. 2017 Apr 19;152(4):e165540.
  Greenberg, Caprice C.; Dombrowski, Janet;& Dimick, Justin B.
Video-Based Surgical Coaching: An Emerging Approach to Performance Improvement
  JAMA Surg. 2016 Mar;151(3):282-3.
  Min, Hyeyoun; Morales, Dianali Rivera; Orgill, Dennis; Smink, Douglas S.;& Yule, Steven
Systematic review of coaching to enhance surgeons' operative performance
  Surgery. 2015 Nov;158(5):1168-91.
  Bonrath, Esther M.; Dedy, Nicolas J.; Gordon, Lauren E.;& Grantcharov, Teodor P.
Comprehensive Surgical Coaching Enhances Surgical Skill in the Operating Room: A Randomized Controlled Trial
  Ann Surg. 2015 Aug;262(2):205-12.
  Karam, Matthew D.; Thomas, Geb W.; Koehler, Daniel M.; Westerlind, Brian O.; Lafferty, Paul M.; Ohrt, Gary Thomas; Marsh, J. Lawrence; Van Heest, Ann E.;& Anderson, Donald D.
Surgical Coaching from Head-Mounted Video in the Training of Fluoroscopically Guided Articular Fracture Surgery
  J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2015 Jun 17;97(12):1031-9.
  Greenberg, Caprice C.; Ghousseini, Hala N.; Pavuluri Quamme, Sudha R.; Beasley, Heather L.; Wiegmann, Douglas A.
Surgical coaching for individual performance improvement
  Ann Surg. 2015 Jan;261(1):32-4.
  Leung, Yee; Salfinger, Stuart; Tan, Jason Jit‐Sun; Frazer, Amanda
The introduction and the validation of a surgical encounter template to facilitate surgical coaching of gynaecologists at a metropolitan tertiary obstetrics and gynaecology hospital
  Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2013 Oct;53(5):477-83.