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The Power of Partnership: Exploring Patterns of Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration in Plastic Surgery
Hilary Y Liu1, Nicolás M Kass1, Tiffany Jeong1
1From the Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Global Open
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Interdisciplinary research in plastic surgery is common, with nearly half of studies involving collaboration. These collaborations lead to publications in higher-impact journals and increased research funding.
Area of Science:
- Plastic Surgery Research
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Academic Medicine
Background:
- Interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial in plastic surgery but its extent and impact are not well understood.
- Quantifying collaboration patterns is essential for understanding research dynamics in academic plastic surgery programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify collaboration patterns in academic plastic surgery research.
- To evaluate the association between interdisciplinary collaboration and research productivity, funding, and journal influence.
Main Methods:
- PubMed database was queried for articles from academic plastic surgery programs (2018-2023).
- Collaborative articles were defined by the senior author's affiliation with plastic surgery and at least one coauthor from a different department or specialty.
Main Results:
- 44.8% of 6686 publications involved interdisciplinary collaboration, most frequently with surgical (56.1%) and medical (38.1%) specialties.
- Collaborative studies were published in higher impact factor, non-plastic surgery journals.
- Institutions with greater STEM collaboration showed significantly higher research funding ($2.32 ± $1.05 billion vs. $2.03 ± $1.12 billion).
Conclusions:
- Interdisciplinary collaborations are prevalent in plastic surgery research.
- These collaborations are linked to higher impact journal publications and increased institutional funding.
- Strategic interdisciplinary partnerships can enhance the academic reach and funding of plastic surgery research programs.
