The Current State of Orthopaedic Educational Leadership: A 5-Year Update

It is valuable to understand the changing landscape of leadership in orthopaedic surgery given its effect on medical school education, residency and fellowship training, and patient care. The purpose of this study was to provide a 5-year update on the current characteristics of orthopaedic educational leadership.

Based on the initial study, 159 accredited orthopaedic surgery residency programs were identified through cross-referencing the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) website with the Electronic Residency Application Service Data, including training locations, academic rank, H-index, and publications for both program directors (PDs)and chairs, were obtained from public websites.

One hundred fifty-nine PDs and 151 chairs were identified. Overall, 82 (51.6%) and 55 (36.4%) changes in PD and chairs, respectively, were observed. In addition, there were 18 (11.1%) female PDs in 2020 compared with 23 (14.5%) in 2025 ( P = 0.379), and 3 (2.0%) female chairs in 2020 compared with 12 (7.9%) in 2025 ( P = 0.016). Chairs were in practice for longer than PDs (26.8 versus 16.6 years [ P < 0.001]) and in their position for longer (9.3 versus 7.8 years [ P = 0.066]). Chairs were more likely to be professors (75.5% versus 22.6% [ P < 0.001]), have higher H-index (30.4 versus 14.2 [ P < 0.001]), and have more publications (95.9 versus 35.4 [ P < 0.001]). PDs were more likely to have completed residency at their current institution. The most common subspecialties were trauma for PDs and sports for Chairs.

There have been notable changes in orthopaedic surgery leadership positions within the past 5 years, with a significant increase in female Chairs. Those who are interested in pursuing leadership positions or in the changing landscape of orthopaedic leadership may benefit from the findings of this study.