Trends in pre-fellowship research productivity among matched gynecologic oncology fellows

Research productivity is a key metric for evaluating gynecologic oncology fellowship candidates, but competitive benchmarks are unclear. We aimed to assess the pre-fellowship publication output of successfully matched gynecologic oncology fellows and trends over time.

A cross-sectional study was conducted of trainees entering gynecologic oncology fellowship from 2018 to 2023. Trainee data were collected using online sources and communication with programs. PubMed was used to identify trainee publications, with publication year recorded relative to fellowship matriculation. Trends and differences in publication counts by matriculation year were assessed using Kruskal-Wallis and Cochran-Armitage tests. Multivariable Poisson regression assessed factors associated with total publications.

We identified 455 trainees. By the year of fellowship matriculation, 400 (87.9 %) trainees had at least one publication and 307 (67.5 %) had at least one first-author publication. The median number of total publications was 3 (IQR 1-6) and first-author publications was 1 (IQR 0-2). In assessing trends over time, median total publications increased from 2 (IQR 1-4) in 2018 to 4 (IQR 2-7) in 2023 (p < 0.01). Higher publication counts were associated with holding an additional advanced degree (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.44, 95 % CI 1.28-1.61) and training at university-based (IRR 2.43, 95 % CI 1.53-4.18) or community-based university affiliated residencies (IRR 2.31, 95 % CI 1.43-3.99) compared to community-based programs.

Most trainees entering gynecologic oncology have published research prior to fellowship, with median publications increasing significantly over time. These findings suggest a growing competitiveness in the field and offer useful benchmarks for fellowship applicants and programs.