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Examining the Relationship Between Academic Excellence and Clinical Productivity in Orthopedic Surgery
Mohamad Y Fares1,2, Xiaoran Zhang3, Harry H Liu4
1Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
|March 14, 2026
Summary
High-achieving academic orthopedic surgeons demonstrate strong clinical activity alongside research productivity. This study found that top researchers maintained high clinical volumes, challenging the notion of a trade-off between clinical and academic performance.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Medical Research
- Academic Medicine
Background:
- The interplay between clinical practice volume and academic achievement in orthopedic surgery is not well understood.
- Investigating the characteristics of successful academic orthopedic surgeons can reveal patterns linking clinical performance and scholarly output.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the traits of high-achieving academic orthopedic surgeons.
- To explore the relationship between clinical volume and academic success in orthopedic surgery.
Main Methods:
- Utilized National Plan and Provider Enumeration System and Medicare claims data (2021-2022) for 23,403 orthopedic surgeons.
- Calculated a publication score (volume, impact, authorship) to identify top 5% of researchers.
- Analyzed demographic data, clinical volume, relative value units (RVUs), and Healthgrades ratings.
Main Results:
- Top researchers (1169/23,403) showed higher publication scores and clinical volumes (p < 0.001).
- Hip/knee and shoulder/elbow subspecialties had significantly greater clinical volumes in top researchers.
- No significant differences in Healthgrades ratings or number of ratings between top researchers and others.
Conclusions:
- High research productivity in orthopedic surgery is not inversely related to clinical productivity.
- Academic orthopedic surgeons can excel in both research and clinical practice.
