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The following is a summary of “Demographics and Research Activity Among 2023 Academic Glaucoma Specialists,” published in the December 2023 issue of Ophthalmology by Vought et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study on glaucoma to assess academic specialists’ demographic profiles, academic attributes, and research involvement.
They collected demographic and academic information on glaucoma specialist faculty members from 99 ophthalmology residency programs across the United States by referencing institutional websites, Doximity, and LinkedIn. The H-index was computed using Scopus to gauge scholarly impact, while the mean and weighted relative citation ratio (RCR) were assessed using the National Institute of Health iCite tool to evaluate research productivity and impact.
The results showed that most academic glaucoma specialists in 2023 were male (0.61), located in the Southern United States (0.316), and had been in practice for ten years or less (0.324). Around 26% held additional professional degrees, and 11% completed fellowship training in addition to clinical glaucoma. The most common academic appointment was assistant professor (0.479); nearly a quarter (0.23) held additional positions. The mean h-index was 13.3, the mean m-RCR was 1.76, and the mean weighted RCR was 84.0, indicating high research productivity and impact. It was found that men had higher h-index (P<.001), m-RCR (P=.007), and w-RCR (P<.001) compared to women. Furthermore, h-index (P<.001; P<.001; P<.001), m-RCR (P=.006; P <.001; P<.001), and w-RCR (P< .001; P<.001; P<.001) increased with career duration, academic position, and additional academic appointments. Additional training was associated with a higher h-index (P =.023) and w-RCR (P=.012), although not with m-RCR (P=.699).
Investigators concluded that research productivity strongly influences academic promotion, and gender disparities in research activity could lead to unequal opportunities for career advancement.
Source: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08820538.2023.2293029
