Colloquium: Optimizing Cognitive Readiness

Abstract

Sustained attention is critical for performance in complex, high-demand environments. However, digital distractions, operational uncertainty, and cognitive and emotional overload increasingly erode these capacities. This presentation will review recent findings from Dr. Jha’s laboratory on the vulnerability of attention under stress and the potential of short-form mindfulness-based interventions to bolster cognitive and emotional resilience.

Across diverse applied groups—including military personnel, first responders, educators, athletes, and others—brief mindfulness training has been associated with improvements in laboratory-based measures of attention and working memory, subjective ratings of well-being, and operationally relevant performance outcomes.

Jha will discuss strategies for beginning individual mindfulness practice and present models for scalable, system-wide delivery, such as peer-led instruction and digital platforms, to support integration into professional and operational settings. She will also highlight the broader implications for optimizing cognitive readiness and resilience in high-performance teams.

About the Speaker

Amishi Jha is director of contemplative neuroscience and professor of psychology at the University of Miami. Prior to her current role, she was an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Cognitive Neuroscience. She earned a doctorate in psychology (cognitive neuroscience) from the University of California–Davis and completed postdoctoral training in brain imaging at Duke University. With support from the Department of Defense and private foundations, Jha investigates the neural mechanisms of attention and how attention can be protected and strengthened with mindfulness training. Her research focuses on high-stress, high-demand professionals—including military service members, first responders, medical and business professionals and leaders, and elite athletes—where cognitive resilience and peak performance are critical. She led the first-ever study to offer mindfulness training to active-duty U.S. military personnel preparing for deployment—showing that while attention is vulnerable under stress, it can be strengthened through mindfulness training. Her work has been featured by TED, NATO, the Pentagon, the World Economic Forum, The New York Times, TIME, NPR and more. She is the author of the national bestseller “Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention,” “Invest 12 Minutes a Day,” and creator of the Pushups for the Mind app, developed in collaboration with the Department of Defense.