What's in a Number? Examining the Effect of a Dedicated Research Year on H-Index and Fellowship Decision-making

Examining Gender Representation in US News and World Report Top 25 Urology Departments: Female Faculty Hold Lower Professorial Levels and Publication Rates Than Male Counterparts

OBJECTIVES

To examine female representation in US News and World Report (USNWR) top 25 US Urology departments and identify trends of female representation in institutional roles.

METHODS

Using the 2022 USNWR, we collected data from each institution's websites along with a compared geographically local cohort to evaluate the presence of female residents, female attendings, and professorial levels. First or last author faculty publications numbers were found using PubMed and Scopus in fiscal year 2022.

RESULTS

The top 25 institutions averaged ~32.3% female residents and 18.7% female attendings, which was not significantly different from the comparison cohort. Of the total publications of fiscal year 2022, female attendings contributed ~14% (p < 0.001), also not significantly different from the comparison cohort. Only 20.4% of listed female attendings in top 25 programs are full Professors, compared to 41.1% of the listed men (p < 0.05). The most common level of female professorship is Assistant Professor (53.4%). Level of female professorship between cohort was significantly different, with female urologists more likely to hold a title of full Professor in the top 25 cohort compared to the nontop 25 cohort regardless of similar publication output (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Female faculty in Urology continue to be underrepresented in the top Urology departments, with significant difference in equitable female professorship appointments between top 25 and nontop 25 departments. Future directions include examining the impact of early mentorship and sponsorship on representation over time.

Does Dedicated Research Time During Residency Predict Resident Academic Productivity and a Future Academic Career?

OBJECTIVE

Dedicated research time is a component of certain plastic surgery programs, and yet, there is limited research examining its impact on academic productivity and career outcomes. This study aimed to assess the effect of dedicated research time on the academic productivity of residents and the likelihood of pursuing an academic career.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study that examined bibliometric indices of integrated plastic surgery residency graduates from 2010 to 2020. Academic productivity was determined by the number of peer-reviewed publications and h-index 1 year after residency graduation. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, χ2 test, t test, and logistic regression.

RESULTS

Data on plastic surgery residency graduates were analyzed (N = 490 from 46 programs). The mean numbers of publications and h-index per research track graduate were 26.1 and 8.23, respectively. The mean numbers of publications and h-index per nonresearch track graduate were 15.9 and 5.97, respectively. After controlling for the University of Alabama research ranking through multilinear regression analysis, we found that pursuing dedicated research time was an independent predictor of increased h-index and publication output, although it did not predict an increased likelihood of pursuing an academic career.

CONCLUSIONS

Participating in dedicated research during residency increases academic productivity, irrespective of the residency program's research rank. Given this finding, offering research years can help support the mission of fostering academic opportunities within plastic surgery.

Determinants of research productivity during postgraduate medical education: a structured review

BACKGROUND

Although formal participation in research is an integral and often mandatory component of clinical training programs, resulting productivity is highly variable. The objective of this review was to identify determinants of successful research performance among graduate medical education trainees.

METHODS

A structured review of the published literature was performed by searching PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE from inception through to 7 April, 2021. Articles examining graduate medical education trainee research productivity evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed journals were included.

RESULTS

Eighty-five articles were included of which most (66; 78%) were reported from the USA or Canada (10; 12%). A wide range of disciplines were represented with the most common being general surgery, internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, and pediatrics. Themes (number of reports) included trainee characteristics (n = 24), project characteristics (n = 8), mentoring/supervision (n = 11), and programmatic aspects (n = 57). Although variable results were observed, research productivity tended to be higher with prior research experience, later years of training, male gender, and pursuit of a postgraduate degree. Few project related aspects of success were identified. Trainee publication was associated with mentors with higher rank, publication productivity, and supportive academic environments. Training programs with organised programs/curricula including protection of time for research were associated with increased productivity as were provision of incentives or rewards but not mandatory requirements.

CONCLUSION

This review identifies several trainee characteristics, project and mentor aspects, and programmatic aspects associated with increased productivity that may serve as a useful resource for trainees and graduate medical education training programs.

Dedicated Residency Research Time and Its Relationship to Urologic Career Academic Success

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between research time during urologic training and career academic success.

METHODS

We included urologists graduating residency between 2002 and 2008 from 36 programs affiliated with a top 50 hospital for urology as ranked by the United States News and World Report, and collected research time during residency, fellowship training, current appointment (private practice, assistant professor, associate professor, professor, chair), national institutes of health (NIH) grant accrual, NIH R01 grant accrual, and current H-index in Scopus database. Publication output during and after residency was identified through the PubMed database.

RESULTS

In our cohort of 543 urologists, 66.3% of graduating trainees pursued private practice. Increasing residency research time was associated with increased publication count (P <.001), pursuit of professor positions (P <.001), and NIH funding (P <.001). One year of dedicated research increased the odds of being in the top 10th percentile of publication output during residency (odds ratio [OR]: 5.7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.7-12.1), pursuing a fellowship (OR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.3-3.1), promotion to professor (OR: 4.9, 95% CI: 2.0-12.2), obtaining a NIH grant (OR: 6.2, 95% CI: 2.3-16.5), and decreased the odds of pursuing private practice (OR: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.3-0.6). As amount of time dedicated to research in urologic residency increased from 3-4 to 6-12 months, OR increased for career academic success metrics.

CONCLUSION

Although a minority of trainees enter academics, dedicated time for research in urologic residency is associated with career academic success, with more research time associated with increased publication output, academic appointments, and grant funding.

[Educational research in urology : Innovations for improving training]

Educational research (ER) should be defined as the motivated guidance of residents to be involved and to conduct structured research. ER does not only pursue the goal to promote residents for an academic career but it also concentrates on the improvement of residency in general. Based on the data of national and international studies lack of time, enthusiastic mentors and financial resources represent the most significant obstacles to realize concepts of dedicated ER. The current article highlights options to improving ER with a structured curriculum starting in medical school and extending to board examination and fellowship training. Three staged concepts should be continuously integrated into residency programs: (1) ER to improve individual competence in urology, (2) clinical and patient-oriented ER, (3) ER to realize academic career. Concept 1 includes scholarly aligned M&M conferences, journal clubs, OR workshops, tumor boards, visiting professors. Concept 2 includes the scientific analysis of well circumscribed questions concerning site-specific medical strategies in the context of the current literature. Concept 3 requires continuous and reliable communication between the residents and their mentors. It also requires a well-structured and harmonized strategy to combining the clinical and research education which comprises 5 phases. Eventually, ER curriculum must be integrated into residency programs which can only be realized if the structure of German academic urology is changed from a more or less vertical hierachy to a horizontal hierarchy with clinically and scientifically aligned department structures.