The role of advanced degrees in reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialists

Many physicians pursue advanced degrees (ADs), defined as a master's or doctoral-level degree, in addition to a medical degree to enhance professional development. This study aimed to examine how holding an AD influences the career trajectory amongst reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) specialists.

A list of REI physicians was obtained from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine database. Physicians were divided based on AD status and compared across demographics, academic leadership, journal board, and reproductive society officer positions, and research productivity, measured by h-index and number of publications and citations. Fisher's Exact T-tests, Chi-Squared analysis, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for associations.

Amongst 768 REI physicians, 163 (21%) possessed an AD. Proportionally more female physicians held an AD compared to males (23.4% vs. 19.4%, p < 0.001). Those with ADs were more likely to have an allopathic medical degree (98.8%), practice in the Northeast of the USA (33.7%), and work in private practice (55.8%) (p < 0.001). REI physicians with ADs demonstrated higher research productivity, reflected by higher average h-index (18.33 vs. 11.96), publications number (58.8 vs. 36.25), and citations number (2524 vs. 1531) (p < 0.001). They were also more likely to hold academic leadership, journal board, or reproductive society officer positions (p < 0.001).

Holding an AD was associated with greater research productivity and higher representation in academic leadership roles among REI physicians. These insights may help current and aspiring REIs evaluate the role of additional qualifications in achieving their professional goals.