Trends in Medical Training and Leadership at Academic Orthopedic Programs

Cureus (09/13/2022) Elkadi, Seleem H.; Donaldson, Stiles; Krisanda, Emily; et al.

Researchers ranked 192 medical schools and 200 orthopedic residency programs according to prestige rankings through U.S. News and Doximity, respectively. The authors identified 200 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Doctor of Medicine, and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine residency programs in the U.S. as of December 2021. They compiled data on 268 orthopedic surgeons with leadership positions at academic hospitals, of whom 115 were department chairs, 15 were vice-chairs, 126 were program directors (PDs), 11 were chairs/PDs, and one was a vice-chair/PD. One hundred sixty had professorships, 62 had associate professorships, and 46 had assistant professorships. Physicians also completed an average 23 years of graduating from orthopedic residency, while 237 had completed at least one American fellowship. Twenty-two earned master's degrees and four held PhDs. Male physicians numbered 244 and female physicians totaled 22. "This study highlights that the average leader in academic orthopedics trained in a residency program with a higher than average reputation," the authors conclude. The implication is that they had greater access to research, or could have been hired through reputation-enhancement programs. "Women continue to be underrepresented in orthopedic academic leadership, and correcting this could lead to more women pursuing orthopedics," the authors suggest.

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