About SaberLab
The Future of Intelligent Performance
Evolution of SaberLab
Founded at the University of Edinburgh in 2020, the Surgical Sabermetrics Laboratory (SaberLab) pioneers a data-driven approach to understanding and improving surgical team performance. Drawing inspiration from sports analytics, SaberLab applies sabermetric principles to the operating room, using wearable sensors, video analysis, and AI to capture the dynamics of real and simulated surgery. The lab focuses on non-technical skills, such as situation awareness, decision making, teamwork and communication; critical to patient safety but often under-measured. Through interdisciplinary collaboration across surgery, human factors, data science and professional sports, SaberLab develops tools and insights that inform training, enhance performance, and promote wellbeing in high-stakes clinical environments.
Centre for Medical Informatics, Usher Institute
SaberLab is based within the Centre for Medical Informatics at the Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh - a leading hub for data-driven health research. The Centre brings together experts in data science, epidemiology, engineering, and behavioral science to transform healthcare through digital innovation. With a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, the Centre supports the development of scalable tools and technologies that improve patient outcomes, inform policy, and advance the safe and ethical use of artificial intelligence in medicine. https://usher.ed.ac.uk/
Professor Steven Yule
Founding Director of SaberLab
Steven is Chair of Behavioural Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and Director of SaberLab. An internationally recognised leader in surgical performance and human factors research, he also serves as Director of Non-Technical Skills at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Steven's work bridges behavioural science and surgical practice, with research spanning healthcare, elite sports, and spaceflight. His innovations in measuring team performance and non-technical skills have shaped national and international training programs. Current projects are exploring video, physiological data and machine learning to predict safety-critical behaviors and outcomes in operative surgery.
SaberLab Meetings
Our regular Friday research meetings advance innovation in surgical performance analytics and clinical human factors. These include journal clubs, guest speakers, research updates, and interdisciplinary collaborations. A highlight of our calendar is the ongoing monthly joint lab meeting with the MAICE Lab at Mass General Brigham/ Harvard Medical School, led by Dr. Roger Dias. Notable sessions in 2025 include discussions on augmented reality in clinical decision-making, multimodal data integration, and simulation studies on vascular anastomosis. These meetings foster international collaboration, share cutting-edge research, and support the professional development of SaberLab members and partners.
Contact Us
Contact us below for collaboration or enquiries.