Surgical Unity, Resilience & Growth for Equity

The infrastructure that should have existed for every woman leading surgical care.

SURGE is a closed mentorship programme for women in the surgical space — built on a 100-point matching algorithm, structured session guides, and the belief that the right relationship at the right moment changes careers.

Join the programme See how it works
6 mo
Defined commitment
A structured cycle with a renewal option. Not an open-ended obligation.
100 pt
Algorithm-matched
10 dimensions including barriers lived, career target, follow-through, and time capacity.
Closed
Invitation only
Every participant is invited or approved. Quality over scale.
Why SURGE exists

The talent is there.
The infrastructure is not.

Women now make up roughly half of U.S. medical school classes and fill operating rooms, surgical suites, and executive offices across health systems. They remain vastly underrepresented in the leadership roles that shape surgical care. This is not a pipeline problem. It is a structural one.

See the solution →
~22%
of surgeons are women — even though women have made up roughly half of U.S. medical school classes in recent years. The talent is not the problem.Source: AAMC physician workforce data (general surgery, ~22.6% women).
~7%
of surgery departments are chaired by a woman — fewer than 1 in 14.Source: JAMA Surgery, 2020 (~7% of U.S. surgical department chairs).
46%vs 33%
burnout among women surgeons vs. men — women in surgery consistently report higher burnout than their male peers.Source: study of general surgeons, Physician Wellness Academic Consortium (46% vs 33%).
01
Matched on lived experience
Barrier overlap carries the most algorithmic weight. You are matched to someone who has navigated what you are navigating — not just someone with a similar title.
02
A defined commitment
You set your cadence and capacity at intake. The match is 6 months. At the end you decide whether to renew, rotate, or step back. No open-ended obligation.
03
Structured from day one
12 session guides across a 6-month cycle. Both participants arrive prepared. Conversations start at depth, not at introduction.
04
Match health monitoring
Check-ins logged, satisfaction tracked, patterns monitored. A coordinator is alerted before a match fails — not after.
05
A sponsorship pathway
Senior mentors with real decision-making authority are identified as sponsors — not just advisors. The gap between advice and advocacy is closed.
06
The thing that should have existed
If you navigated your career without the mentorship you needed, you already understand the value of what SURGE is offering. This is the infrastructure.
What SURGE drives

Mentorship,
matched well,
moves what matters.

For the surgeons, leaders, and APPs who join — and for the field they shape.

Grow your craft & career

Operative proficiency

Sharper skills and faster progression to confident, independent practice.

Access to expert mentorship

The right mentor for your goals — not just who you happen to know.

Leadership advancement

Clear paths into the roles that shape the field.

Sponsorship opportunities

Mentors who become advocates and open real doors.

Connection & well-being

Career satisfaction

Connection and direction that make a demanding career sustainable.

Engagement & culture

Connection and belonging, so no one practices isolated or alone.

Burnout reduction

Support that counters the isolation driving surgeons out.

Strengthen the field

Retention

Keep talented women in surgery and close the leak in the pipeline.

Leadership pipeline

Develop the next generation of surgical leaders — including you.

Recruitment into surgery

Visible mentorship that draws more women into the specialty.

How it works

A structured
six-month cycle.

SURGE removes the ambiguity that makes most mentorship requests easy to decline. Every step is defined before you say yes.

1
Complete the intake
A 10-minute questionnaire covering your background, barriers, career target, and availability. The algorithm does the rest.
2
Receive your match
You receive a match profile showing your partner's background, goals, barriers, and compatibility score. You see why — not just who.
3
Meet at your chosen cadence
Monthly, quarterly, or flexible. SURGE provides session guides and goal tracking so conversations start at depth.
4
Renew, rotate, or step back
At 6 months: continue, be matched to someone new, or take a cycle off. No obligation. No stigma.
The commitment in plain language
"A 10-minute form. One match. Your cadence. Six months."
10
Minutes to complete intake
No committee review, no lengthy application. One form, one time.
12
Structured session guides
Foundation through Renewal. Both participants arrive prepared every time.
6
Month defined cycle
With a renewal option. Not a lifetime commitment.
0
Administrative burden
SURGE tracks check-ins, satisfaction, and goals. You focus on the conversation.
Built in collaboration

The surgeons and leaders
already in.

SURGE is being built in collaboration with leaders across surgery and healthcare who have committed to supporting and shaping its early development.

DS
Deepa Shah
MD FACS — Founder
CC
Courtney Cook
MD
KS
Katherine Swank
MD
KR
Kellie Rath
MD
NG
Nicole Garcia
MD FACS
IA
Irina Arp
MD FACS
BT
Betsy Tuttle
MD FACS
AR
Alisha Reiss
MD FACS
ED
Elizabeth Daniels
MEd BSN RN CENP
AH
Anna Hensley
MBA
SA
Stacey Armstrong
MBA
The matching

You are matched on
what actually matters.

SURGE Match™ is a proprietary scoring algorithm that evaluates compatibility across multiple dimensions of professional trajectory, lived experience, and behavioral alignment. Your stated limits are hard constraints — never overridden by a coordinator.

What the algorithm weighs
Barriers navigated and lived experience
Career trajectory and target alignment
Professional track and stage compatibility
Behavioral and engagement compatibility
Time capacity and commitment patterns
Communication and feedback preferences
Growth orientation and mentorship history
70
Minimum match threshold
Matches below the threshold are not made. You will only be matched to someone the algorithm has rated as a genuine fit.
85+
High-quality match
High-scoring matches are flagged and confirmed first. You see the score and the reasoning before the introduction is made.
0
Coordinator overrides
Barriers you will not mentor on are hard constraints built into the algorithm. They are never overridden.
↺
Dynamic rematching
If a match is not working it can be dissolved without stigma. The platform monitors health and alerts coordinators before problems escalate.

Ready to join
SURGE?

SURGE is a closed programme. Access is by invitation. The intake takes 10 minutes. Your match is assigned within 5–7 business days of coordinator review.

Apply as a mentee Become a mentor

Already a participant? Go to my match →

What you're signing up for
✓
A 10-minute intake questionnaire
Covers your background, barriers, career target, and availability. One form, one time.
✓
A match reviewed before confirmation
You see the compatibility score and reasoning. No match proceeds without coordinator review.
✓
Meetings at your preferred cadence
Monthly, quarterly, or flexible. SURGE provides structure so conversations start at depth.
✓
A 6-month cycle with a clear endpoint
At 6 months: renew, rotate, or step back. No open-ended obligation.
✓
Recognition as a founding participant
Named in programme materials and the inaugural impact report.