Research Productivity Among Fellowship-Trained Academic Ophthalmologists in North America
Narrative Responses:
Purpose
To evaluate and compare trends in research productivity among the various ophthalmology subspecialties.
Methods
Faculty members from 11 Canadian and 94 American academic ophthalmology departments were organized by subspecialty, presence of additional advanced degrees, academic rank, and their research productivity, as measured by the h-index calculated using the Scopus database. The h-index is a reliable indicator of research productivity, as it takes into account both quantity and relevance of research contributions.
Results
Fellowship-trained ophthalmologists in academic programs had higher h-indices than non–fellowship-trained ophthalmologists. This difference was more pronounced in American programs (P<0.05). Retina and glaucoma specialists had significantly higher research productivity than their peers in other ophthalmology subspecialties. Higher h-indices were strongly associated with a higher academic rank, holding a PhD, and being a chairperson (P<0.05).
Conclusion
Fellowship-trained ophthalmologists had higher h-indices. Faculty members with the highest research productivity were disproportionately represented in positions of leadership. This reflects the importance of research contributions in academic advancement, although other factors, such as educational contributions and clinical performance may also be important factors.