Our Mission
Sociobehavioral comorbidities shape complications, recovery, cost, and long-term outcomes, yet they remain inconsistently defined, measured, and addressed in surgical care.
In the SASSY Lab, our mission is to build the science of sociobehavioral comorbidity in surgery. We do this through four domains:
Measurement- We define and rigorously assess sociobehavioral risk at the patient level.
Prediction- We determine which risks meaningfully influence surgical outcomes.
Interventions- We design and test scalable strategies to mitigate modifiable perioperative risks.
Lived Experience- We center patient voices to understand how sociobehavioral comorbidities are experienced in surgical care.
Together, this work advances equitable, evidence-based surgical care for every patient.
Our Values
Our work is purposeful.
We conduct research because it is designed to directly impact people's lives. Research for research's sake is our Kryptonite.
We’re all in.
We hold collective and personal north star(s) that guide our work effort. Distractions are handled strategically.
We start with "what if" rather than "why not."
Idea generation with a sense of possibility is encouraged. Individual passions are promoted. There are plenty of later steps where critical review can fine-tune applications.
Gray areas are our happy place.
We embrace ambiguity and the possibility of being wrong.
We like flavor.
Bold ideas are favored over cautious incrementalism.
We celebrate contrarians.
Conventional wisdom is the enemy. If others are doing it, we look for alternatives.
