A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Research Productivity for Medical Students Matching Into Integrated Plastic Surgery...

Area of Science:

• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Medical Education
• Academic Medicine

Background:

• Research productivity is a key metric for integrated plastic and reconstructive surgery residency applications.
• Limited research exists on the content, timing, and predictive value of peer-reviewed publications among matched applicants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze research metrics of applicants matched into integrated plastic surgery programs.
• To determine if research output predicts matching into top-ranked programs.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 224 integrated plastic surgery residents from the 2024-2025 cycle.
• Collected publication data from PubMed, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate.
• Used statistical analyses including logistic regression to identify predictors of matching at top programs.

Main Results:

• Matched applicants had a median of 10 publications, with 6 in plastic surgery and an H-index of 5.
• The most common research topics were general plastic surgery and education/non-clinical.
• No single research metric independently predicted matching into a top 20 program (AUC = 0.731).

Conclusions:

• Matched plastic surgery applicants demonstrate high research productivity.
• A diverse range of subspecialty research interests were observed.
• Individual research metrics did not independently predict selection into top-tier integrated plastic surgery programs.