The Association of H-index and Academic Rank Among Full-time Academic Foot and Ankle Surgeons Affiliated with Fellowship Programs

The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between Hirsch index (h-index) and academic rank among foot and ankle surgeons affiliated with American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) fellowship programs. The total number of publications, academic rank, years in practice, fellowship training pedigree, and h-indices of 176 foot and ankle surgeons from 48 AOFAS fellowship programs were recorded, and statistical analysis was performed. We found a strong association between total number of publications and h-index. Number of publications, h-index and training program affiliation were associated with higher academic rank, except at the chair/director position. Overall, h-index is a stronger predictor of academic rank than number of publications. The results of this study suggest that h-index and total number of publications are associated with a higher academic rank for full-time foot and ankle fellowship affiliated surgeons. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 31(4):263–267, 2022)

Key words: academic productivity, academic rank, h-index, hirsch index