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Craniofacial Surgery Fellowship: What Predicts Successful Academic Career Placement Upon Graduation?
Alexandra O. Luby, MS; Kavitha Ranganathan, MD; Steven R. Buchman, MD
University of Michigan
2019-02-12
Presenter: Alexandra O. Luby, MS
Affidavit:
Alex is a medical student working in my laboratory. She is not a resident, so she does not have a program director. I am the craniofacial fellowship program director and the principal investigator of this project. I certify that this submission represents Alex's original work, as she has performed majority of the work on this project and she has my approval to submit this work and present it.
Director Name: Steven R. Buchman
Author Category: Medical Student
Presentation Category: Clinical
Abstract Category: Craniomaxillofacial
Background: As craniofacial fellowship positions outnumber the availability of academic craniofacial jobs, it is important to understand the factors that affect the likelihood of securing an academic position. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of bibliometric indices and trainee demographics on the ability to obtain a full-time academic plastic surgery position upon completion of craniofacial fellowship.
Methods: Craniofacial fellowship graduates between 2009-2018 (n=182) from all programs were identified. Initial job placement after fellowship and demographic data were collected; bibliometric indices were calculated upon fellowship completion. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, and multinomial logistic regression were used to evaluate the relationship between job placement and selected factors.
Results: Of the 45.1% of fellows that secured academic positions, 43.9% trained at six fellowship institutions. Residency institution was associated with academic placement (p=0.000). Odds ratio of placement into academic over non-academic practice increased for each unit increase in select bibliometric indices (h-index: OR=1.17;p=0.000; g-index: OR=1.07;p=0.000; hinorm-index: OR=1.33;p=0.000). Geography influenced academic placement, as 63.6% of trainees in the Northeast secured academic positions (p=0.018). 20.3% of craniofacial fellows completed dedicated postgraduate research time. Among these, 70.3% entered academic jobs; dedicated postgraduate research time was associated with academic placement (p<0.001).
Conclusions: Residency training institution, bibliometric indices, geographic location, and postgraduate research were significantly associated with academic placement. This information is valuable for applicants who aspire to be academic surgeons, as well as programs and educators who can utilize this data to identify applicants with a propensity for academics.
