Harnessing human potential to improve patient care
About us
Surgeons are high performance individuals. We are trained to an exacting level to manipulate sensitive tissue, quickly analyze information to save lives and communicate complex ideas with a range of people.
At the Surgical Fitness Research Pod, we believe that full utilization of the mind, body and spirit are central to advancing surgical care. As such, we are committed to improving the way surgery is done by expanding the limits of surgeon cognitive, motor and emotional function. Our research focuses on building skills to make the thousands of daily tasks a surgeon must perform more reliable and efficient without specific reliance on enabling technology. Our overarching goal is to help improve the humans who are at the razor’s edge of delivering lifesaving care.
Meet the Team
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Yoshihiro Katsuura, MD
FOUNDER
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James Schmidt, BA
Pomona College
Research Assistant, 2023
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Rebecca Hu
University of California Berkeley
Research Assistant, 2024
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Cyrus Nasr
University of California Berkeley
Research Assistant, 2024
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Mark Polemiodiotis, BS
University of Western Ontario
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Research Assistant, 2025
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Allen Justin
University of California Berkeley
Research Assistant, 2025
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Elijah Liu
University of California Berkeley
Research Assistant, 2025
Alumni
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Kie Shidara, MS
Research Assistant 2023-2024
Number of Publications: 3
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Andrew Roos, BS
University of California Santa Barbra
Arizona State School of Medicine
Research Assistant 2024-2025
Number of Publications: 5
Publications and Presentations
Schmidt J, Shidara K, Roos A, Katsuura Y, Mental Practice, Visualization, and Mental Imagery in Surgery: a Systematic Review, AM Surg, 2025 PMID 39810413.
Roos A , Schmidt J, Hu R, Nasr C, Polemidiotis M, Katsuura Y, Preoperative Quiz for Improved Patient Education and Communication in Elective Orthopedic Spine Surgery, Clin Spine Surg, 2025, PMID 40489898
Roos A, Schmidt J, Hu R, Nasr C, Katsuura Y, Preoperative Quizzes for Improved Patient Education and Communication in Elective Orthopaedic Spine Surgery, International Spine Deformity Symposium, Dec 2024
