Abstract
Introduction It is currently unknown whether formal research training has an influence on academic advancement in plastic surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine whether formal research training was associated with higher research productivity, academic rank, and procurement of extramural National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in plastic surgery, comparing academic surgeons who completed said research training with those without. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of full-time academic plastic surgeons in the United States. The main predictor variable was formal research training, defined as completion of a postdoctoral research fellowship or attainment of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The primary outcome was scientific productivity measured by the Hirsh-index (h-index, the number of publications, h that have at least h citations each). The secondary outcomes were academic rank and NIH funding. Descriptive, bivariate, and multiple regression statistics were computed. Results A total of 607 academic surgeons were identified from 94 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited plastic surgery training programs. In all, 179 (29.5%) surgeons completed formal research training. The mean h-index was 11.7 ± 9.9. And, 58 (9.6%) surgeons successfully procured NIH funding. The distribution of academic rank was the following: endowed professor (5.4%), professor (23.9%), associate professor (23.4%), assistant professor (46.0%), and instructor (1.3%). In a multiple regression analysis, completion of formal research training was significantly predictive of a higher h-index and successful procurement of NIH funding. Conclusion Current evidence demonstrates that formal research training is associated with higher scientific productivity and increased likelihood of future NIH funding.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 422-428 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Surgical Education |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- academic practice
- h-index
- postdoctoral research training
- research training
- residency
- surgical training
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Education
Cite this
Does Formal Research Training Lead to Academic Success in Plastic Surgery? A Comprehensive Analysis of U.S. Academic Plastic Surgeons. / Lopez, Joseph; Ameri, Afshin; Susarla, Srinivas M.; Reddy, Sashank; Soni, Ashwin; Tong, J. W.; Amini, Neda; Ahmed, Rizwan; May, James W.; Lee, W. P.Andrew; Dorafshar, Amir.
In: Journal of Surgical Education, Vol. 73, No. 3, 01.05.2016, p. 422-428.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Does Formal Research Training Lead to Academic Success in Plastic Surgery? A Comprehensive Analysis of U.S. Academic Plastic Surgeons
AU - Lopez, Joseph
AU - Ameri, Afshin
AU - Susarla, Srinivas M.
AU - Reddy, Sashank
AU - Soni, Ashwin
AU - Tong, J. W.
AU - Amini, Neda
AU - Ahmed, Rizwan
AU - May, James W.
AU - Lee, W. P.Andrew
AU - Dorafshar, Amir
PY - 2016/5/1
Y1 - 2016/5/1
N2 - Introduction It is currently unknown whether formal research training has an influence on academic advancement in plastic surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine whether formal research training was associated with higher research productivity, academic rank, and procurement of extramural National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in plastic surgery, comparing academic surgeons who completed said research training with those without. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of full-time academic plastic surgeons in the United States. The main predictor variable was formal research training, defined as completion of a postdoctoral research fellowship or attainment of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The primary outcome was scientific productivity measured by the Hirsh-index (h-index, the number of publications, h that have at least h citations each). The secondary outcomes were academic rank and NIH funding. Descriptive, bivariate, and multiple regression statistics were computed. Results A total of 607 academic surgeons were identified from 94 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited plastic surgery training programs. In all, 179 (29.5%) surgeons completed formal research training. The mean h-index was 11.7 ± 9.9. And, 58 (9.6%) surgeons successfully procured NIH funding. The distribution of academic rank was the following: endowed professor (5.4%), professor (23.9%), associate professor (23.4%), assistant professor (46.0%), and instructor (1.3%). In a multiple regression analysis, completion of formal research training was significantly predictive of a higher h-index and successful procurement of NIH funding. Conclusion Current evidence demonstrates that formal research training is associated with higher scientific productivity and increased likelihood of future NIH funding.
AB - Introduction It is currently unknown whether formal research training has an influence on academic advancement in plastic surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine whether formal research training was associated with higher research productivity, academic rank, and procurement of extramural National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in plastic surgery, comparing academic surgeons who completed said research training with those without. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of full-time academic plastic surgeons in the United States. The main predictor variable was formal research training, defined as completion of a postdoctoral research fellowship or attainment of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The primary outcome was scientific productivity measured by the Hirsh-index (h-index, the number of publications, h that have at least h citations each). The secondary outcomes were academic rank and NIH funding. Descriptive, bivariate, and multiple regression statistics were computed. Results A total of 607 academic surgeons were identified from 94 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited plastic surgery training programs. In all, 179 (29.5%) surgeons completed formal research training. The mean h-index was 11.7 ± 9.9. And, 58 (9.6%) surgeons successfully procured NIH funding. The distribution of academic rank was the following: endowed professor (5.4%), professor (23.9%), associate professor (23.4%), assistant professor (46.0%), and instructor (1.3%). In a multiple regression analysis, completion of formal research training was significantly predictive of a higher h-index and successful procurement of NIH funding. Conclusion Current evidence demonstrates that formal research training is associated with higher scientific productivity and increased likelihood of future NIH funding.
KW - academic practice
KW - h-index
KW - postdoctoral research training
KW - research training
KW - residency
KW - surgical training
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84953791563&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84953791563&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jsurg.2015.12.001
DO - 10.1016/j.jsurg.2015.12.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 26796512
AN - SCOPUS:84953791563
VL - 73
SP - 422
EP - 428
JO - Journal of Surgical Education
JF - Journal of Surgical Education
SN - 1931-7204
IS - 3
ER -