Descriptive Analysis of Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship Program Directors.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Education
• Surgical Training

Background:

• Vitreoretinal surgery fellowship programs are crucial for training specialists.
• Understanding the characteristics of program directors is essential for evaluating training quality and identifying areas for improvement.
• The Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) accredits these programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the demographic, educational, and scholarly profiles of AUPO-accredited vitreoretinal surgery fellowship program directors in the US and Canada.
• To compare these characteristics based on director's sex, program size, program ranking, and institutional affiliation.
• To identify potential disparities and areas for enhancing diversity and equity within program leadership.

Main Methods:

• Publicly available online data sources were utilized to gather information on identified program directors.
• Demographic data (age, sex), educational background, and scholarly metrics (h-index, citations) were collected.
• Statistical comparisons were performed across different subgroups (sex, program size, ranking, affiliation).

Main Results:

• Eighty-one program directors from 78 programs were analyzed; 14.8% were women, who were younger on average than male directors.
• Most directors (90.1%) held academic appointments, predominantly as professors.
• Directors in top-ranked and larger programs demonstrated higher publication rates, more citations, and a greater h-index.
• Programs led by female directors had a higher proportion of female faculty.

Conclusions:

• Vitreoretinal surgery fellowship program directors exhibit diverse backgrounds.
• Women remain significantly underrepresented in these leadership roles.
• Addressing this underrepresentation is key to promoting greater gender equity in ophthalmology leadership positions.