Trends in Academic Achievement Within Otolaryngology: Does Fellowship Training Impact Research Productivity?

Abstract

Background Scholarly productivity and research output vary among different subspecialties. The h-index was developed as a more wholesome metric that measures an author's contribution to literature. Objective Through a web-based cross-sectional analysis, we investigated the differences in scholarly impact and influence of both fellowship and nonfellowship-trained academic otolaryngologists in the United States. A secondary objective was to further understand the output among the larger fellowship fields. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was performed for active faculty otolaryngologists. A total of 1704 otolaryngologists were identified as faculty in residency training programs across the United States. Their h-index and publication data were gathered using the Scopus database. The data were obtained in August 2019 and analysis occurred in January 2020. Results Head and neck surgical faculty (25.5%) had the highest representation with fellowship experience. Among all faculty, there was no statistical difference in the overall average h-index scores when comparing faculty that had fellowship training with those who did not (12.6 and 12.1, respectively, P = .498). Rhinologists had the highest publication output per year at 3.90. Among fellowship-trained faculty, the highest average h-index and total publications were seen in head & neck surgery, while facial plastics had the lowest averages ( P < .001). Conclusions In this study, fellowship-trained faculty had a greater but not significant scholarly impact than nonfellowship faculty. Furthermore, there were significant variations in output among the various subspecialties of otolaryngology. Growing fields, as academic rhinology, are continuing to flourish in robust research productivity and output. This study further demonstrates the potential, growing influence of fellowship training on research involvement and academic advancement within the otolaryngology subspecialties.

An Otolaryngologist’s Guide to Understanding the H‐index and How It Could Affect Your Future Career

“… 3 A study by Moffatt et al later on suggests that although this difference may be starting to become smaller, involvement in academic medicine is higher in fellowship-trained otolaryngologists. 4 Furthermore, among the fellowship-trained individuals, the average h-index score for faculty under each subspeciality has been analyzed in several studies and can be referenced in Table 1 for a summary of the findings.…”

“…Throughout the last decade, for example, otolaryngologists who have completed head and neck cancer fellowship programs have reportedly higher h-indices than their peers in other subspecialities and non–fellowship-trained colleagues. 3 , 4 , 27 , 28 It is important to take into account, however, that this subspeciality may be given the most extensive federal and institutional funding, as research in cancer may be recognized as a more worthy cause than other otolaryngology-related maladies. In fact, one study examined if NIH funding had any impact on one’s scholarly output.…”

“…Faculty with otology and head and neck cancer fellowship training consistently have the highest h-index values (12.4 and 12.8, respectively) among colleagues trained in other subspecialities of otolaryngology. 3,4,27,28 Of note, rhinologists are having higher publication rates annually in comparison with the other subspecialities and are approaching h-index values similar to those of faculty with otology and head and neck cancer training (10.2). 4 With fellowship training in rhinology being a relatively recent development, these results demonstrate high research proficiency within the subspeciality that has the potential to outpace other subspecialities in the coming years.…”

“…A variety of studies have shown that a higher h-index correlates with higher faculty rank. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] In terms of academic rank among 14 surveyed medical specialties, assistant professors scored an h-index score between 2 and 5, associate professors 6 and 10, and full professors 12 and 24. 8 Among hand surgeons, although many factors play into determining academic rank, the was the strongest correlative factor.…”

Science and Research March Onward

“…On the subject of academic achievement within Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Mofatt et al sought to evaluate the impact of fellowship training on scholarly impact through the use of a cross-sectional analysis of academic otolaryngologists in the United States. 1 What they discovered is that fellowship training did not have a significant impact on h-index scores – a correlate to academic influence. They did however note several interesting variations across different subspecialties of our field, including the fact that rhinologists had the highest average publication output per year.…”