NCT07342673

Brief Summary

Medical students often begin training with psychological and physiological health metrics superior to their age-matched peers. By graduation, however, rates of depression, anxiety, and physiologic dysregulation are markedly higher, reflecting the cumulative strain of long study hours, high-stakes examinations, and the emotional burden of early patient care. Despite this, few medical schools provide structured, evidence-based tools for students to develop resiliency and recovery skills before clinical rotations begin.

Trial Health

57
Monitor

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
49

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Jan 2026

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

December 8, 2025

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

January 15, 2026

Completed
1 day until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

January 16, 2026

Completed
5 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 1, 2026

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 1, 2026

Completed
Last Updated

March 2, 2026

Status Verified

December 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

5 months

First QC Date

December 8, 2025

Last Update Submit

February 26, 2026

Conditions

Burnout

Keywords

wellness coachingperformance coachingbiometric feedbackpsychological stress

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

  • Heart Rate Variability

    Mean daily nocturnal Heart Rate Variability (HRV): Higher = Better

    Weekly through Week 13

  • Resting Heart Rate (Beats per Minute)

    daily nocturnal Resting Heart Rate (RHR): Lower = Better

    Weekly through Week 13

  • Sleep Duration (minutes)

    Mean nightly sleep: Higher = Better

    Weekly through Week 13

  • Sleep Consistency (minutes)

    SD of mid-sleep time: Lower = Better

    Weekly through Week 13

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • Change in Perceived Stress (Perceived Stress Scale PSS-4) Scores

    Weekly through Week 13

  • Change in Burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory MBI-GSS) Scores

    Week 13

Other Outcomes (6)

  • Exam Performance checklist

    Week 13

  • Weekly mean nocturnal HRV (RMSSD, ms) measured via wearable device during intervention and compared to other phases.

    Weekly through Week 13

  • Weekly mean nocturnal RHR (bpm) measured via wearable device during intervention and compared to other phases.

    Weekly through Week 13

  • +3 more other outcomes

Study Arms (1)

Arena Strive

EXPERIMENTAL

digital coaching platform, which integrates asynchronous coaching, two virtual coaching sessions with a high-performance medicine coach, physiological data from wearable sensors, and a focused curriculum of performance tools tailored to frontline healthcare workers.

Behavioral: Arena Strive

Interventions

Arena StriveBEHAVIORAL

integrates asynchronous coaching, two virtual coaching sessions with a high-performance medicine coach, physiological data from wearable sensors, and a focused curriculum of performance tools tailored to frontline healthcare workers.

Also known as: digital coaching platform
Arena Strive

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 60 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • active first year Wake Forest School of Medicine medical students
  • have an Android or iOS smart phone
  • are willing to download the Arena Strive application

You may not qualify if:

  • under the age of 18; or over the age of 60
  • pregnant at enrollment or during course of study
  • any self-reported cardiac conditions that may impact heart rate and heart rate variability

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Burnout, PsychologicalStress, Psychological

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral SymptomsBehavior

Study Officials

  • Dermot Phelan, MD, PhD

    Wake Forest University Health Sciences

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Dermot Phelan, MD, PhD

CONTACT

704 373 0212Dermot.Phelan@Advocatehealth.org

Dana Amaro

CONTACT

704-355-4692dana.amaro@advocatehealth.org

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Model Details: first-year medical students from Wake Forest School of Medicine
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

December 8, 2025

First Posted

January 15, 2026

Study Start

January 16, 2026

Primary Completion

June 1, 2026

Study Completion

June 1, 2026

Last Updated

March 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations

US(1)