For the further training of individuals in neurosurgery II: the academic legacy of the William P. Van Wagenen Fellowship

Abstract

<jats:sec><jats:title>OBJECTIVE</jats:title><jats:p>William P. Van Wagenen pursued a research fellowship in Europe early in his career under the recommendation of Harvey Cushing. Later, Van Wagenen would be instrumental in the establishment of the William P. Van Wagenen Fellowship, a postgraduate fellowship for neurosurgeons from the AANS that requires study outside of a fellow’s country of residency training with plans to return to academic practice.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>METHODS</jats:title><jats:p>Since 1968, 54 Van Wagenen Fellowships have been awarded, sending 54 fellows from 31 institutions to 13 different countries. The academic productivity of fellows was studied to determine the academic “return on investment” of the fellowship.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>RESULTS</jats:title><jats:p>Almost all fellows have spent some time in academic neurosurgery (94%), with the vast majority remaining in academics for their entire career (87%); 52% of fellows have received NIH funding, and 55% have been promoted to professor. The numbers are even more striking for the first half of Van Wagenen Fellows (who received the fellowship from its inception in 1968 to 1994) with at least 25 years of career development who remained in academics: 65% received NIH funding, 86% were promoted to professor, and 62% became chairs of academic departments. The Hirsch index of fellows, defined as h papers from an individual with at least h citations, is higher than the national mean and median values for academic neurosurgeons at every academic rank. Fellows have served on national committees and as AANS and CNS presidents and have given back financially to the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) to fund future research activities of neurosurgical residents and young faculty.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>CONCLUSIONS</jats:title><jats:p>The Van Wagenen Fellowship will continue to provide young neurosurgeons with opportunities to pursue novel research and network with peers internationally and to motivate young neurosurgeons to transform neurosurgery. The legacy of Cushing and Van Wagenen continues today through the Van Wagenen Fellowship, a legacy that will only continue to grow.</jats:p></jats:sec>

A comprehensive evaluation of career trajectories of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons William P. Van Wagenen fellows

“…This attention to academic excellence appears to follow most VW fellows throughout their careers, as the average h-indices of VW fellows at each academic rank is higher than the average for all United States neurosurgeons also holding that rank. 13 Taken together with the observation that over 70% of VW fellows remain in academics, it seems likely that both the fellowship itself and the residency from which fellows are selected prepare VW fellows for a robust career in academic neurosurgery.…”

“…To date, there exist comprehensive analyses of neurosurgical chairs, 5 residents, 6 program directors, 7 , 8 international medical graduates (IMGs), 9 and others in the field of neurosurgery 10 , 11 , 12 ; however, only a single study has been conducted to analyze the academic and career characteristics of past VW fellows, 13 while the influences demographic attributes play on fellow career trajectory and trends that may influence future fellow selection have not been investigated. Given the unique experiences and the impact of the fellowship, VW fellows represent potential future leaders in the field.…”