Medical Degree Disparity Among Authors of Original Research in Pediatric Journals

Abstract

Introduction: Research and scholarly output are integral parts of residency training for both residents and faculty. With the transition to a single accreditation system, scholarly activity and output of osteopathic physicians have garnered significant interest. Previous research has shown that osteopathic physicians in emergency medicine and obstetrics and gynecology infrequently publish original research in high impact journals.Objective: To determine whether there is a disparity between osteopathic and allopathic physicians among authors who publish original research manuscripts in three high-impact pediatric journals.Methods: The medical degree designation of the first and senior author (last author) and any advanced degree either author may have obtained were retrieved from the Journal of Pediatrics (J Pediatr), Pediatrics, and JAMA Pediatrics (JAMA Pediatr) for the years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. Data was analyzed using simple descriptive statistics and linear regression.Results: In total, 2232 manuscripts and 4296 authors were reviewed with 0.58% (25/4296) of all authors being osteopathic physicians. A total of 0.81% (18/2232) of first authors and 0.34% (7/2064) of senior authors were osteopathic physicians. For those with a dual degree, a total of 0.64% (5/777) of first and 0.33% (3/904) of senior authors were osteopathic physicians. No statistical trend could be established for increased first (p=0.24), senior (p=0.16), dual degree first (p=0.08) or dual degree senior (p=0.06) osteopathic physician authorship. Likewise, no statistical trend for increased authorship could be established for any Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) authorship role in the three journals over the time period studied.Conclusion: Very few osteopathic physicians have served as either the first or senior author in published original research manuscripts for the Journal of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, or JAMA Pediatrics for the years studied. Also, no statistical trend could be established for increased osteopathic physician publication over the same years.

Medical Degree Disparity Among Authors of Original Research in Pediatric Journals: A Four-Year Follow-Up

“…As the current transition to a single graduate medical education accrediting system is reaching completion, based on our results, there still appears to be a significant gap in the number of publications when comparing osteopathic physicians with their allopathic counterparts in the pediatric specialty. These data are similar to the previous reported literature on pediatric DO publication patterns [ 7 ]. The cause of this persistent disparity in publications remains unclear, despite the accrediting bodies recommendations.…”

“…In the specialties of emergency medicine, general surgery, and family medicine, no osteopathic physician has received a National Institutes of Health R01 grant in more than a decade [ 4 - 6 ]. In a recent study examining the scholarly activity of osteopathic physicians prior to the merger, very few served as either the first or senior author on research that had been published in high-impact pediatric journals [ 7 ]. However, no data exist on the publication patterns of pediatricians since programs began to transition during the single accreditation system.…”

A Time of Reflection and New Beginnings

“…This included poor research infrastructure, representation on vital Federal committee's, low rate of Federal grants awarded and inclusion as editors in medical journals. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] A credit to our training and the make-up as a medical community; physicians tend to believe in others, favor trust and compliance. This same trait can lead to anergy at times when speaking up and taking action is more prudent.…”

National Institutes of Health Funding in Internal Medicine: Analysis of Physicians Receiving an R01 Grant Between 2008 and 2017

“…Over the last several years, a disparity in the amount of scholarly activity produced by allopathic and osteopathic physicians has emerged. Recent data have shown that very few osteopathic physicians serve as either the first or senior author in published original research manuscripts in emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and neurosurgery [1][2][3][4]. Additionally, no osteopathic physicians have been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grant in emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, or obstetrics and gynecology in the previous decade [5][6][7][8].…”