Trends in leadership at breast surgical oncology fellowships

Abstract

Introduction Breast surgical oncology is a defined sub-specialty of general surgery that focuses on the surgical management of breast disease and malignancy within a multidisciplinary context. The fellowship directors (FD) that lead these programs have been selected for their abilities. As programs do research to ensure proper training for the next generation of breast surgical oncologists, we wanted to look into the FDs responsible for their training. Methods The Breast Surgical Oncology care program list was compiled via the Society of Surgical Oncology and American Society of Breast Surgeons Accredited programs ( n = 60). The demographic information that was of interest included, but was not limited to, gender, age, ethnicity/background, past residency training, past fellowship training, year graduated from residency and fellowship, year since graduation to FD appointment, time at institution till FD appointment, and Hirsch index (h-index). Results Data were collected on all 60 FDs. The average age of FDs was 52 years old, 27% of FDs are men and 73% of FDs are women. The average H-index, number of publications, and number of citations were 19, 67, and 2648, respectively. The mean graduation year from residency was 2003, and from fellowship was 2006; with a mean of 9 years post fellowship graduation until becoming an FD. The most frequently attended residency was Rush ( n = 4), and the most common fellowships were Memorial Sloan Kettering ( n = 8), MD Anderson Cancer Center ( n = 7), and John Wayne Cancer Institute ( n = 4). Nine of the FDs stayed at the same institution after doing both residency and fellowship there (15%). Conclusion This is the first study to examine the demographics of those in FD positions in Surgical Breast Oncology, which is a relatively young fellowship. We found that FDs in Breast Surgical Oncology are defined by their high output of research. This qualification may be why the average age, and the number of years to FD are higher compared to other specialties where this research has been undertaken. Initial evaluation of FDs suggest more diversity in this field is needed. Further insight into the leaders training our next generation of surgeons is warranted.

Gynecologic oncology fellowship leadership trends by gender

“…A Qualtrics survey was developed by the study team for dissemination to GYO PDs. Survey questions emphasized PDs’ demographic background, professional training, and involvement in various professional organizations ( Schachner et al, 2022 , Singh et al, 2021 , Wolbrom et al, 2021 , Madhan et al, 2022 , Donnally et al, 2020 , Choubey et al, 2022 ). Demographic information included age, gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.…”

“…Leadership trends within other surgical subspecialties, including breast surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, hand surgery, spine surgery, and transplant surgery, have been published ( Schachner et al, 2022 , Singh et al, 2021 , Wolbrom et al, 2021 , Madhan et al, 2022 , Donnally et al, 2020 , Choubey et al, 2022 ). With the exception of breast surgical oncology, a specialty in which the majority of fellows are women, these studies reported that fellowship PDs are overwhelmingly male ( Schachner et al, 2022 , Singh et al, 2021 , Wolbrom et al, 2021 , Madhan et al, 2022 , Donnally et al, 2020 , Choubey et al, 2022 ). To date, there are no studies that have analyzed trends in leadership in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN).…”