Elsevier

The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery

Volume 60, Issue 6, November–December 2021, Pages 1222-1226
The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery

Scholarly Productivity Among Academic Foot and Ankle Surgeons Affiliated With US Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency and Fellowship Training Programs

https://doi.org/10.1053/j.jfas.2021.04.017Get rights and content

Abstract

Foot and ankle surgeons practicing within academic medicine balance clinical or surgical training, course instruction, administrative duties, and research. Along with clinical skills and patient volume, promotion within academia often relies on scholarly productivity. Previous research across specialties described this productivity using variables including publications, citations, and the h-index, a scale that quantifies the productivity and citation impact of published works, among academic ranks. As no studies examine the scholarly impact of foot and ankle surgeons with academic appointments, this study aimed to analyze the productivity and gender differences present in this specialty. A systematic review of academic-affiliated foot and ankle surgery residencies and fellowships was performed; and faculty members were screened for sex, academic rank, publication history, citations, h-index, and years in practice. Among 234 programs reviewed, 44 programs allowed for the analysis of 106 practitioners with an academic rank eligible for analysis. Overall, 78.3% of practitioners were male with the most common rank being assistant professor. Men published more documents and maintained higher citations as well as longer years in practice, and this was significant (p < .05). A significant difference was exhibited among all academic ranks (p ≤ .001). Multivariate regression revealed the publication history and years in practice are strongly correlated with the h-index of providers (p ≤ .001). Foot and ankle surgeons practicing in an academic setting may use the results of this study to gauge their productivity and identify benchmarks that similar providers have met at varying academic ranks.

Section snippets

Materials and Methods

To identify foot and ankle surgeons, residency programs approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) (https://www.casprcrip.org/html/casprcrip/directory.asp) and fellowship programs approved and recognized by CPME (https://www.cpme.org/fellowships/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2441) and the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) (https://www.acfas.org/Fellowship-Center/Recognized-Fellowship-Intiative/List-of-Available-Fellowships) respectively were systematically reviewed

Academic Description

Among the 44 programs that maintained faculty with an academic appointment, 106 practitioners were identified, of which 83 (78.3%) were male and 23 (21.7%) were female (Table 1). The majority of these providers met the rank of assistant professor 48 (45.28%), followed by professor 24 (22.64%), associate professor 20 (18.87%), and then instructor 14 (13.21%). Of the 106 identified practitioners, the median number of published documents was 9 (3-29.25), citations was 45 (6.5-276.5), and h-index

Discussion

Across medical specialties, the selection of academic medicine follows closely with those who have completed postgraduate degrees and fellowships or maintain an interest in teaching and conducting research (16). Satisfaction and promotion in this academic career relies heavily on mentorship and constructive faculty development (17, 18). Along with establishing a health mentor-mentee relationship, promotion often relies on academic productivity (5, 6, 7,19). As no study formally analyzes the

Author Contributions

Dominick Casciato, Kimberly Cravey, and Ian Barron assisted with data collection and drafting of the manuscript.

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    • Post-Fellowship Foot and Ankle Surgeon Research Productivity: A Systematic Review

      2022, Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery
      Citation Excerpt :

      Foot and ankle surgery fellowships serve to advance resident education through specialized training and providing evidenced-based medicine through research. Despite decades of existence, studies have only just began to assess the advantages and opportunities associated with this extra year of training (4,5). Those pursuing fellowship cite a variety of personal and career goals, though training focus remains one of the most important factors when selecting a program (6).

    Financial Disclosure: This study received no internal or external funding.

    Conflict of Interest: None reported.

    Declaration of Patient Consent/IRB Approval: N/A.

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