Steven Yule

Professor of Behavioural Sciences

Biography

Background

Professor Steven Yule leads cutting-edge research at the University of Edinburgh using video analytics, wearable sensors, and artificial intelligence to optimize surgical performance, enhance team dynamics, and improve patient safety in the digital operating room. An internationally recognized expert in non-technical skills and human performance, his work spans healthcare, elite sports, and spaceflight, with over 25 years of experience studying teamwork in high-stakes environments. He is Chair of Behavioural Sciences at the Usher Institute and Clinical Surgery and Lead Scientist of the Surgical Sabermetrics Laboratory (SaberLab); a pioneering research group that translates data-driven performance-enhancement techniques from professional sport to surgery. SaberLab collaborates with institutions across Europe and North America and was honoured with the inaugural MacLeod McLaren Medal in Patient Safety by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2025.  At the University of Edinburgh, he is Programme Director of the MSc in Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors, which trains healthcare leaders worldwide in systems thinking, non-technical skills, and digital health innovation to support safer, higher-quality care. In parallel, he serves as Faculty Director of Non-Technical Skills at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, where he chairs a steering committee shaping global training standards in team performance, and leads a faculty of more than 125 international surgical educators.

From 2011 to 2020, Professor Yule served on faculty at Harvard Medical School as Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of Research, Education and Innovation at the STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He held past leadership appointments with the Global Education Council (Johnson & Johnson Institute), the Leadership Council for Surgery & Public Health (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health), and the Ariadne Labs for Health System Innovation. He has also advised the American College of Surgeons on surgical skills training and non-technical performance standards, and NASA on medical event management for future exploration missions to Mars. His contributions to behavioural science in surgery have been recognized by the Stuart Medal from the Royal Society of Medicine and extensive international funding and collaborations. Through multidisciplinary teamwork, Steve’s mission is to translate scientific innovation into real-world solutions that transform healthcare delivery, improve lives, and benefit society.

Qualifications

MA, MSc (Eng.), PhD, CPsychol, FRCSEd

Responsibilities & affiliations

Professor Yule is Chair of Behavioural Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and Lead Scientist of the Surgical Sabermetrics Laboratory (SaberLab) within the Centre for Medical Informatics, Usher Institute. He directs the MSc in Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors and serves as Faculty Director of Non-Technical Skills at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

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