Building the Thriving Physician: How medicine can learn from Navy SEALS and Cirque du Soleil acrobats.

Modern medicine demands more than clinical expertise—it requires clarity, resilience, and sustained cognitive performance under pressure. In this transformative session, Brian Ferguson, founder of Arena Labs and former Navy SEAL Officer, introduces High Performance Medicine, an innovative approach that adapts tools from elite military and high-stakes professions to help clinicians thrive.

Attendees will gain science-based strategies to improve mental and physical recovery, reduce burnout, and lead with precision—even in high-pressure clinical environments. Ferguson brings lessons from special operations, national security, and cutting-edge human performance research into a healthcare context to support both individual well-being and systemic innovation.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the principles of High Performance Medicine and its application in clinical settings

• Learn actionable techniques to optimize rest, recovery, and resilience

• Explore tools to enhance cognitive performance and decision-making under pressure