Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Feb 18, 2024; 15(2): 129-138
Published online Feb 18, 2024. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v15.i2.129
Academic productivity correlates with industry earnings in foot and ankle fellowship programs in the United States: A retrospective analysis
Albert T Anastasio, Anthony N Baumann, Kempland C Walley, Kyle J Hitchman, Conor O’Neill, Jonathan Kaplan, Samuel B Adams
Albert T Anastasio, Conor O’Neill, Jonathan Kaplan, Samuel B Adams, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC 27710, United States
Anthony N Baumann, College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272, United States
Kempland C Walley, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
Kyle J Hitchman, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Campbell University, Lillington, NC 27546, United States
Author contributions: Anastasio AT created the idea for the study, performed data collection, contributed to the manuscript and revisions; Baumann AN contributed to the manuscript, performed statistical analysis, and assisted with revisions; Walley KC performed data collection, contributed to the manuscript and editing process; Hitchman KJ uploaded the submission and was responsible for revisions of the manuscript; O’Neill C wrote portions of the manuscript, performed data collection and was involved in the editing process; Kaplan J was involved with the editing process and served as a mentor for the project; Adams SB served as the Principal Investigator for this study and was involved with the editing process; all authors have read and approve of the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: All the data included in the manuscript are available publicly online. Additionally, no human or animal research was carried out at any point during the study. For these reasons, we do not believe IRB approval or exemption is necessary.
Informed consent statement: No human subjects were involved in this research project. Additionally, there were no experimental groups. The data in this study were obtained from readily available online resources.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Albert Anastasio: Consulting fees from QPIX Solutions. Anthony Baumann: Declarations of interest: None. Kempland Walley: Declarations of interest: None. Kyle Hitchman: Declarations of interest: None. Conor O’Neill: Relationships with Medtronic, Stryker, and Fortis Surgical. Jonathan Kaplan: Relationships with Novastep, Exactech, Encore Medical, Stryker, Vilex, Bioventus, and Micromed. Samuel B. Adams: Consulting fees/relationships with Conventus, Enovis, in2bones, Restor3d, and Stryker. See COI form for more relationships.
Data sharing statement: Technical appendix, statistical code, and dataset are available from the corresponding author at albert.anastasio@gmail.com.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Albert T Anastasio, MD, Doctor, Surgeon, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Duke University Hospital, 200 Trent Dr, Durham, NC 27710, United States. albert.anastasio@gmail.com
Received: October 19, 2023
Peer-review started: October 19, 2023
First decision: November 29, 2023
Revised: December 8, 2023
Accepted: January 3, 2024
Article in press: January 3, 2024
Published online: February 18, 2024
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

The study opens the door for future research by revealing a significant positive correlation between academic productivity and industry earnings in foot and ankle orthopedic surgery fellowships. Subsequent research could explore the underlying factors influencing this correlation, identifying causal mechanisms and potential interventions to enhance both academic productivity and financial outcomes in this specialized medical field. Additionally, future studies may look into the broader implications of these findings for the education and practice of foot and ankle orthopedic surgeons.

Research motivation

The study does not explicitly propose new theories. Instead, it focuses on investigating and establishing a correlation between academic productivity (measured by the H-index) and industry earnings in foot and ankle orthopedic surgery fellowships. The primary contribution lies in highlighting the relationship between scholarly achievements and financial outcomes in this specific medical field, without introducing novel theoretical frameworks.

Research objectives

The findings indicate a significant correlation between academic productivity (H-index) and industry earnings in foot and ankle orthopedic surgery fellowships. This contributes to our understanding of the relationship between scholarly achievements and financial outcomes. However, the study does not investigate specific factors influencing these correlations, leaving room for future research to explore the nuances further.

Research methods

The study is a retrospective analysis. We utilized data from two primary sources: Scopus for academic productivity metrics, specifically the H-index, and the Open Payments Database (OPD) for industry earnings data. The research involved the examination of 48 foot and ankle orthopedic surgery fellowships in the United States, covering 100% of such programs and 95.9% of physicians. Academic productivity was assessed through the H-index recorded from the Scopus website, while industry earnings were obtained from the OPD, encompassing total life-time earnings from 2015 to 2021. The novelty of the research lies in the comprehensive analysis of the correlation between academic productivity and industry earnings at both individual physician and fellowship levels within the context of foot and ankle orthopedic surgery, providing a unique perspective on the intersection of scholarly achievements and financial outcomes in this specialized medical field.

Research results

The main objectives of this study were to investigate the correlation between academic productivity and industry earnings in foot and ankle orthopedic surgery fellowships in the United States. The study aimed to quantify academic productivity using the H-index and measure industry earnings through the OPD. The objectives that were realized include identifying a significant positive correlation between academic productivity and industry earnings at both individual physician and fellowship levels. The significance of realizing these objectives lies in shedding light on the intricate relationship between scholarly achievements and financial outcomes in this specialized medical field, providing a foundation for future research to delve deeper into the factors influencing this correlation and its implications for the field of foot and ankle orthopedic surgery.

Research conclusions

This study investigates the relationship between academic productivity and industry earnings in foot and ankle orthopedic surgery fellowships in the United States. Key topics include individual physician and fellowship-level metrics, such as the H-index for academic productivity and total life-time earnings from the OPD. The study identifies a significant positive correlation between academic productivity and industry earnings, addressing the crucial link between scholarly achievements and financial outcomes in the field, providing valuable insights for future research in understanding these dynamics.

Research perspectives

This retrospective analysis explores the correlation between academic productivity and industry earnings in foot and ankle orthopedic surgery fellowships across the United States. Examining individual physician and fellowship-level data from 48 programs, the study reveals a significant positive association between academic productivity (measured by the H-index) and industry earnings. The findings highlight the interconnections of scholarly achievements and financial outcomes in this specialized medical field, both at the individual physician and fellowship levels.