Background In this study, we aimed to assess current demographics, measures of academic productivity, and other objective leadership characteristics among United States cardiothoracic imaging fellowship directors (FDs). Methodology A survey was sent to active members listed in the Society of Thoracic Radiology Cardiothoracic Imaging Fellowship Directory. Demographic, post-graduate training, and scholarly activity data were collected, including, but not limited to, age, sex, residency and fellowship training institutions, time since training completion until FD, length of time as FD, and Hirsch-index (h-index) to measure research activity. Results We identified 53 FDs from 50 cardiothoracic imaging fellowship programs. Of these, 31 (58.5%) were male and 22 (41.5%) were female with an average age of 48.5 years (standard deviation (SD) = 8.4, range = 35-67). There was no statistically significant difference between the mean age of male and female FDs (47.5 vs 50.2 years, p = 0.2811). The mean age of appointment to the FD role was 41.8 years. On average, FDs graduated from residency in 2005 and 2007 for fellowships. Most attended allopathic medical schools (52/53, 98.1%). The average Scopus h-index was 15.7 (SD = 17.4). Gender-wise comparison of mean h-indices revealed 16.2 for males and 15 for females, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.81). Ten (18.9%) FDs and 20 (37.7%) FDs were at the same location they completed residency and fellowship training, respectively. Conclusions This cross-sectional study shows the present demographics within the cardiothoracic radiology FD position. This field of radiology is observed to have FDs with research productivity that is comparable with other medical specialties. Some radiology residency and fellowship programs were shown to produce more FDs than others; however, we were not able to identify causality. Program directors appear to be selected from a familiar pool of applicants, and ultimately FDs are being replaced by individuals with similar distinctions. Overall, this research into cardiothoracic radiology FDs demographics and research productivity can add to the current body of literature on FDs in various medical specialties. It is important to continue to reflect on medical leadership as the field continues to advance.
BACKGROUND The non-invasive imaging examinations of mammography (MG), low-dose CT for lung cancer screening (LCS) and CT colonography (CTC) play important roles in screening for the most common cancer types. Internet search data can be used to gauge public interest in screening techniques, assess common screening-related questions and concerns, and formulate public awareness strategies. OBJECTIVE To compare historical Google search volumes for MG, LCS, and CTC and to determine the most common search topics. METHODS Google Trends data were used to quantify relative Google search frequencies for these imaging screening modalities over the last two decades. A commercial search engine tracking product (keywordtool.io) was used to assess the content of related Google queries over the year from May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023, and two authors used an iterative process to agree upon a list of thematic categories for these queries. Queries with at least 10 monthly instances were independently assigned to the most appropriate category by the two authors, with disagreements resolved by consensus. RESULTS The mean 20-year relative search volume for MG was approximately 10-fold higher than for LCS and 25-fold higher than for CTC. Search volumes for LCS have trended upward since the publication of the National Lung Screening Trial in 2011. The most common topics of MG-related searches included nearby screening locations (24%) and inquiries about procedural discomfort (11%). Most common LCS-related searches included CT-specific inquiries (48%) or general inquiries (16%), use of AI or deep learning (11%), and eligibility criteria (9%). For CTC, the most common searches were CT-specific inquiries (32%) or for procedural details (25%). CONCLUSIONS Over the past two decades, Google search volumes have been significantly higher for MG than for either LCS or CTC, although search volumes for LCS have trended upward since the publication of the National Lung Screening Trial in 2011. Knowledge of public interest and queries related to imaging-based screening techniques may help guide public awareness efforts.
Objective: To identify demographic, training, and career trends of neurotology fellowship directors (FDs). Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: United States. Subjects: All 26 neurotology FDs identified using the American Neurotology Society (ANS) ACGME Accredited Neurotology Fellowship Program Directory, accessed November 2021. Main Outcome Measures: Data were collected via CVs, institutional biographies, and emailed questionnaires. Data collected includes age, gender, race and ethnicity, residency and fellowship training institution, time since training completion until FD, length of time as FD, and Hirsch-index (h-index). Results: Twenty-six FDs were identified, and 17/26 (65.4%) FDs responded to the questionnaire. The majority (23/26; 88.5%) were male. The mean age of male and female FDs was 56 versus 47 years, respectively. Of the 17 that responded to the survey, 82.4% (14/17) self-identified as Caucasian. The mean h-index was 25.4. Older age correlated with a higher h-index (r = 0.46, P = 0.019). The duration (mean ± SD, years) from fellowship graduation to FD appointment was 10.7 ± 8.1 and 6.3 ± 4.8 from institutional hire. Six (23.1%) FDs had secondary graduate degrees, and 9 (34.6%) held a leadership position at a national otolaryngology organization. Conclusion: This observational study assesses demographic data on current neurotology FDs in the United States with an analysis of gender disparities. The objective measures identified can provide a baseline for growth in FD leadership.
Zippi, Zachary D. PharmD; Grage, Rolf A. MD; Johnson, Elizabeth M. MD; Mergo, Patricia J. MD; Sonavane, Sushil K. MD; Stowell, Justin T. MD; Little, Brent P. MD Author Information
Our objective was to examine the educational, research, and leadership trends among gynecologic oncology (GYO) fellowship program directors (PD) and how these vary by gender. PDs were identified using the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Directory. Surveys were sent to PDs' emails to obtain information about demographics, education, and research background. Publicly available data and institutional biographies were used to supplement primary survey data for incomplete responses or survey non-responders. Scopus was used to determine the h-index and number of publications and citations for each PD. Parametric data were compared using unpaired two-tailed t-tests. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were performed for categorical data. The significance level was p < 0.05. Approximately one-half of PDs were female (50.8%). Female PDs had a younger mean age than male PDs (46.4 years vs 51.9 years, p = 0.0014). The average overall h-index was 22 (SD = 14.5) and the average number of publications was 71.2 (SD = 63.3). The average h-index was higher in male PDs than females (27.8 vs 16.3, p = 0.0012), as were the number of publications (97.3 vs 45.8, p = 0.0008). Differences exist among GYO PDs by gender. While research productivity may be reflective of age, gender-based equity in research time should be further explored.
Background: The subspecialty of allergy and immunology (AI) has grown tremendously since the first fellowship programs were developed nearly 80 years ago; however, there is little information with regard to the demographic characteristics and trends in training of fellowship directors (FDs). Objective: Our goal was to analyze the demographic characteristics and pathways in training that have led FDs to advance in the field and train the next generation of allergists and immunologists. Methods: We created a list of all current AI fellowship programs and FDs within the United States. Specific biographical, training, and research information was collected via an Internet search and questionnaire responses. The data were recorded and analyzed in a spreadsheet and unpaired t-tests were performed between male versus female groups for H - index comparison to establish if there was a statistically significant difference. Results: There were 84 total AI fellowship programs with 84 FDs. Forty-one FDs (48.8%) were men and 43 FDs (51.2%) were women; mean age was 51.1 years; and the average age at appointment for men was 45.7 years and for women was 41.4 years, with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.02). Self-reported race and ethnicity (77.4% response rate [n = 65]) were as follows: 55.4% white (n = 36), 23.1% Asian (n = 15), 6.2% biracial (n = 4), 7.7% Middle Eastern (n = 5), 4.6% Hispanic (n = 3), and 3.1% Black (n = 2). The average Hirsch-index (h-index) for FDs was 14.2, with an average of 42.1 publications and 1532.2 citations. The difference between the h-index for the men and for the women was statistically significant, being 17.8 and 11.2 respectively, with p = 0.0143. Conclusion: In AI FDs, women were adequately represented, and men and women were hired at similar ages. There was a statistically significant difference in research output (estimated by the h-index) between men and women. This suggests that research output did not limit women in being appointed as FDs.
