Follow the money: Investigating gender disparity in industry payments among senior academics and leaders in plastic surgery

Abstract

Introduction Differences in academic qualifications are cited as the reason behind the documented gender gap in industry sponsorship to academic plastic surgeons. Gendered imbalances in academic metrics narrow among senior academic plastic surgeons. However, it is unknown whether this gender parity translates to industry payments. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of industry payments disbursed to plastic surgeons in 2018. Inclusion criteria encompassed (i) faculty with the rank of professor or a departmental leadership position. Exclusion criteria included faculty (i) who belonged to a speciality besides plastic surgery; (ii) whose gender could not be determined; or (iii) whose name could not be located on the Open Payment Database. Faculty and title were identified using departmental listings of ACGME plastic surgery residency programs. We extracted industry payment data through the Open Payment Database. We also collected details on H-index and time in practice. Statistical analysis included odds ratios (OR) and Pearson’s correlation coefficient (R). Results We identified 316 senior academic plastic surgeons. The cohort was predominately male (88%) and 91% held a leadership role. Among departmental leaders, women were more likely to be an assistant professor (OR 3.9, p = 0.0003) and heads of subdivision (OR 2.1, p = 0.0382) than men. Industry payments were distributed equally to male and female senior plastic surgeons except for speakerships where women received smaller amounts compared to their male counterparts (median payments of $3,675 vs $7,134 for women and men respectively, p<0.0001). Career length and H-index were positively associated with dollar value of total industry payments (R = 0.17, p = 0.0291, and R = 0.14, p = 0.0405, respectively). Conclusion Disparity in industry funding narrows at senior levels in academic plastic surgery. At higher academic levels, industry sponsorship may preferentially fund individuals based on academic productivity and career length. Increased transparency in selection criteria for speakerships is warranted.

How Many Plastic Surgeons Does It Take to Write an Article? A 10-Year Bibliometric Analysis of Authorship Inflation

“…When analyzed by article type, there was a significant difference between the numbers of authors per article ( P < 0.001). Basic science publications had the most authors per article (6 [IQR,(5)(6)(7)(8)), whereas case reports had the fewest (3 [IQR, [3][4][5]). Every article type, except case reports, experienced a significant increase in the number of authors per article from 2010 to 2020 (Table 2) We also report a significant difference in the number of co-authors between different plastic surgery topics ( P < 0.001).…”

Industry Payments and Academic Influence in Reconstructive Microsurgery

“…Others have shown a significant association between the payment amount and academic rank, leadership position, and career length. [21][22][23] Future research is needed to characterize the influence of industry on those in leadership positions, as industry bias amongst these surgeons This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.…”

Discussion: Assessment of Gender Disparities and Geographic Variations in Payments from Industry among Plastic Surgeons in the United States

“…Similar studies across surgical subspecialties have adopted such methodology. 2,3,7 Furthermore, not knowing the denominator of everyone approached by industry makes it difficult to understand the barriers to gender equality in industry pay. Are men being preferentially approached by industry?…”