Leadership Roles, Academic Appointments, and Scholarly Activity—Does a Fellowship after Plastic Surgery Training Make a Difference?

Abstract

Background Fellowship training is becoming more popular in plastic surgery, with over half of residents pursuing advanced training. Here, we investigate how clinical and research fellowship training impacts career trajectory and scholastic achievement in academic plastic surgery. Methods Plastic surgery faculty members, from programs recognized by the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons, were identified using institutional Web sites. Data extracted included faculty demographics, training history, academic positions, and research productivity. Continuous and categorical variables were compared using t-tests and chi-square, respectively. Results In total, 949 faculty members were included, with 657 (69%) having completed fellowship training. Integrated program residents were more likely to complete a fellowship when compared with independent residents (p < 0.0001). Fellowship trained faculty were more likely to have graduated from a higher ranked residency program, in terms of both overall and research reputation (p = 0.005 and p = 0.016, respectively). When controlling for years in practice, there was no difference found in number of publications, Hirsch index (h-index), or National Institutes of Health funding between faculty between the two cohorts (p > 0.05). In a subanalysis comparing hand, craniofacial, microsurgery, and research fellowships, those who completed a research fellowship had higher h-indices and were more likely to reach full professor status (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). Fellowship training had no effect on being promoted to Chief/Chair of departments (p = 0.16). Conclusion Fellowship training is common among academic plastic surgeons. In this study, both clinical and research fellowships were associated with various aspects of academic success. However, fellowship training alone did not affect attainment of leadership positions.

Trends in Fellowship Training across United States Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Academic Faculty

“…Additionally, fellowship completion has been associated with increased research productivity and a higher h-index over a surgeon’s career. 8 – 10 , 19 , 20 However, our results demonstrate that the number of publications before hire at the current institution was not influenced by fellowship completion. This indicates that fellowship completion may impact a career of research productivity rather than the qualification before academic hire.…”

An Update on the Independent Plastic Surgery Match (2019–2022): Trends, Predictors, and Program Leaders’ Perspectives

“…The existing literature reinforces these findings, suggesting a tendency for integrated residents to gravitate toward fellowships and achieve full professorship, while independent counterparts lean more toward private practice. [39][40][41] Ovadia et al 1 theorized that the shorter training duration for integrated residents might push them toward fellowship for greater operative exposure. Notably, although research productivity before residency was not a predictor of research productivity in the early years of attending practice, as per Jinka et al, the time devoted to research during residency and fellowship training substantially increased this productivity.…”

Effect of Training Backgrounds on Plastic Surgery Leadership: A Logistic Regression Analysis

“…Certain factors such as residency training program, completion of fellowship training, bibliometrics, and prior academic position have shown to play a role in the career trajectory of plastic surgeons. [1][2][3] Because a leader is not restricted to fulfilling the roles of chair/chief or program director (PD), it is crucial to expand the definition of "leadership roles" to include all other institutional and organizational positions that surgeons can pursue. Plastic surgeons choose to advance the field in a variety of ways, and taking on a leadership position serves as a significant way of doing so.…”

“…Certain factors such as residency training program, completion of fellowship training, bibliometrics, and prior academic position have shown to play a role in the career trajectory of plastic surgeons. 1 – 3 …”

“…However, prior studies have been limited to the major positions in academic settings, such as chair, chief, and PD. 1,2,[4][5][6] In this study, we analyze the different types of fellowship training and various academic and community-based hospital positions that board-certified plastic surgeons during the study period have held during their career. Understanding how training backgrounds affect leadership positions in one's career might better inform future plastic surgery residents when making decisions as to training pathways that are most likely to facilitate future leadership aspirations.…”