Academic Productivity of American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Fellowship Programs and Affiliated Faculty

Academic productivity is an important factor in determining career success and institutional ranking. The Hirsch-index (h-index) is a validated measure that assesses both quantity and quality of research output. The aim was to explore factors associated with increased academic productivity among American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons(ASES)-recognized fellowship programs and faculty.

Shoulder and elbow surgery fellowship programs and affiliated faculty were identified via the ASES website, searched on December 6, 2023. Program-specific and faculty-specific characteristics were recorded. The h-index and total publication number were used as metrics and determined for each faculty member using the Scopus database.

A total of 156 faculty members from 34 ASES fellowship programs were included, of which 96.2% were male, 77.6% academically affiliated, and 81.4% completed a shoulder and elbow surgery fellowship. The average years in practice was 18.3 years. The average h-index and total publications per fellowship program were 24.9(SD 12.5, IQR 16.6-33) and 520.3 (SD 458.8, IQR 181-649), respectively. Academic affiliation and faculty number were significant factors associated with increased h-index and total publications of a program. The average h-index and total publications per faculty member were 26.9 (SD 22.7, IQR 9.5-38.5) and 125.4(SD 145.4, IQR 26-169), respectively. Academic title of Professor, years in practice, and research staff were independent factors associated with faculty member productivity.

ASES-recognized fellowship programs and affiliated faculty demonstrated a high level of academic productivity. This information can help shoulder and elbow surgeons benchmark and further improve their research output and academic influence.