Gender Comparison of Scholarly Production in the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Using the Hirsch Index
Publication type
journal article
Publication date
2015
Author(s)
Martinez, M.
Lopez, S.
Beebe, K.
Language
English
Discipline(s)
Abstract
Objective Despite an increase in the proportion of female medical school graduates, the number of women in orthopedic surgery remains low. To examine the presence of gender disparities in scholarly production, the authors used the Hirsch index (h-index) to assess members of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS), a well-defined subspecialty of orthopedic surgery. Design Using the MSTS Membership Directory, the authors assessed those practicing at an academic institution in the United States. Members sex and rank was obtained from their department's website, and their h-index and years since initial publication was collected from the Scopus database. Setting Research was performed at New Jersey Medical School, an institution, using online databases. Participants A total of 247 members of the MSTS were eligible, of whom 125 practiced at a US academic medical center and were included in the study. Results The MSTS is composed of 247 members, 28 (11%) of whom are women. Within US academic medical centers, there are 125 members, including 17 (14%) women. Mean h-indices increased with rising academic rank from 5.42 for assistant professors to 19.28 for professors. Publication ranges showed an increase from 11.03 years for assistant professors to 29.52 years for professors. The h-index and publication years of chairpersons were nearly equal to those of professors. Using the h-index, it was found that men outproduce women - 13.4:7.9. Men outnumber women at every rank, increasingly so at higher ranks. The authors found that there was a significant difference in productivity between ranks (p < 0.01) and between sexes (p = 0.035), but not between sexes at the assistant professor, associate professor, or professor levels (p = 0.147, 0.581, and 0.263, respectively). Conclusions The h-index shows differing production among the sexes and ranks in the MSTS. No significant difference exists between the sexes when members are organized by academic title. © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery.
Journal
Journal of Surgical Education
ISSN
1931-7204
Volume
72
Issue
6
Pagination
1172-1178