Analysis of Academic Accomplishments and Demographics for Elected Presidents of National Orthopedic Surgery Organizations in the United States

Abstract

This study analyzed the academic accomplishments and demographics of elected presidents of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), American Orthopaedic Association (AOA), and American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS). Curriculum vitae and internet-based resources were reviewed to collect demographics, training characteristics, bibliometrics, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding of contemporary presidents (1990–2020). Eighty presidents were included. Most presidents were men (97%), and 4% of presidents were non-White (3% Black and 1% Hispanic). Few had an additional graduate degree (4% MBA, 3% MS, 1% MPH, 1% PhD). Ten orthopedic surgery residency programs trained 47% of these presidents. Most had fellowship training (59%), and the top three were hand surgery (11%), pediatric orthopedics (11%), and adult reconstruction (10%). Twenty-nine presidents (36%) participated in a traveling fellowship. The mean age at appointment was 58±5 years, which was 27 years since residency graduation. The mean h-index was 36±23, resulting from 150±126 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Orthopedic surgery presidents had more peer-reviewed manuscripts (150±126) than chairs (73±81) and program directors (27±32) ( P <.001). AOA presidents had the highest mean h-index (42±21) compared with AAOS (38±27) and ABOS (25±16) presidents ( P =.035). Nineteen presidents had NIH funding (24%). More presidents had NIH funding in the AOA (39%) and AAOS (25%) than the ABOS (0%) ( P =.007). Orthopedic surgery presidents possess high levels of scholarly output. AOA presidents had the highest h-index values and prevalence of NIH funding. Females and racial minorities remain underrepresented at the highest levels of leadership. [ Orthopedics . 202x;4x(x):xx–xx.]

The Perspective of Brazilian Women Orthopaedic Surgeons on Gender Discrimination: Initial Insights to Understand Gender Bias in the Brazilian Healthcare System

“…Regarding women orthopaedists in training, in the US, women represent 16% of orthopaedic residents and 4% of fellows, while in Canada they represent 13.2% of orthopaedic residents [ 24 ]. The relatively low number of women in orthopaedics and their consequent underrepresentation in professional associations perpetuate current gender disparities and represent a barrier to women from holding positions of academic leadership and prominence [ 25 ]. According to a study evaluating women’s participation during the annual meetings of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in 2009, 2014, and 2019, only 6.8% of the 3,980 oral presentations were conducted by women, with the majority of them being related to non-technical sessions [ 24 ].…”

“…The parallel lack of representation of women physicians in specialty societies and associations, academic medicine, and leadership positions reveals a direct relationship between the representation of women physicians and their status in medicine [ 1 , 8 , 9 ]. In a retrospective cohort study, Silvestre et al analyzed the academic achievements and demographic profiles of the presidents of the AAOS, the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA), and the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) elected from 1990 to 2020 [ 25 ]. Eighty presidents were included, with the majority being men (97%) and only two women holding those positions (one in ABOS in 2012 and one in AAOS in 2019).…”

“…In Brazil, since 1935, when Luiz Manoel Rezende Puech took office as the first president of the SBOT, only one woman orthopaedic surgeon has held that position in the largest and most important orthopaedic medical association in the country [ 17 ]. Greater visibility, recognition, and representation can only occur through the implementation of career and leadership development programmes, which, based on projected analysis, can ensure models for promoting identity compatibility and social and professional belonging [ 16 , 25 ].…”