The Human Performance Collaborative, a new initiative from the Ohio State University Office of Research, is working with Sports and Society to examine a variety of research areas all centered around the idea that human performance a holistic concept.

The HPC brings together teams of faculty from around the university to effectively study performance, including brain, body, and behavior.

“There are singular entities looking at performance, but we want to look at it more holistically, say for example having a physical injury. How does that impact someone mentally and how can that impact their behavior?” Jessica Buskirk, managing director (pictured), said.

The HPC launched July 1, 2019, with the main goal to bring in new research in the themes of human-machine teaming, mind-body wellness and e-sports. As e-sports grow rapidly, the HPC hopes to grow its impact, and that’s an area where sport and society can intersect, a key focus also for SSI.

“Sport is a great platform to convey different ideas, specifically areas outside of physical performance,” Dr. Jimmy Onate, former director of the HPC and an associate professor of health and rehabilitation sciences, said. “Look at how the importance of mental health in sports has grown.”

As the HPC looks to expand, Onate said he also hopes performance research will help people improve across all areas, not just one in particular.

“When it comes to stress, it doesn’t matter the task, the impact is no different from a performance standpoint,” he said. “Performance needs to be looked at across all areas to help people improve.

“The ultimate goal is to promote, support, and grow research across all human performances areas, and we’ve already made good progress.”