Breaking Down Silos: Collaboration in Head and Neck Reconstruction Research

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Surgical specialties
• Interdisciplinary studies

Background:

• Head and neck reconstruction is complex, benefiting from collaboration among otolaryngology, plastic surgery, and oral maxillofacial surgery specialists.
• The extent of interdisciplinary collaboration and specific research focuses within these specialties remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify interinstitutional, interdisciplinary collaboration in head and neck reconstruction research.
• To analyze the association between surgical specialty and research subtopic focus.

Main Methods:

• Reviewed oral presentations from 2014-2018 at major reconstructive surgery society meetings.
• Recorded author specialty and institution, assigning research subtopics to each abstract.
• Compared subtopic frequencies across different surgical specialties.

Main Results:

• Only 15% of US institutions engaged in interdisciplinary collaboration for head and neck reconstruction research.
• 31% of institutions had researchers working in parallel without collaboration.
• Distinct research subtopics were predominantly presented by each specialty, reflecting varied interests.

Conclusions:

• Collaboration in US head and neck reconstruction research is below its potential.
• Specialties exhibit differing research interests, highlighting opportunities for synergistic collaboration.