Contemporary Trends in Radiation Oncology Resident Research

Publication date: Available online 11 August 2016
Source:International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics
Author(s): Vivek Verma, Lindsay Burt, Phyllis A. Gimotty, Eric Ojerholm
PurposeMorgan et al established a national benchmark for resident research productivity in the mid-2000s. The present study tested whether contemporary data were significantly different.Methods and MaterialsWe compiled a list of radiation oncology residents from the 2 most recent graduating classes (June 2014 and 2015) using the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO) annual directories. We queried the PubMed database for each resident's first-authored publications from postgraduate years (PGY) 2 through 5, plus a 3-month period after residency completion. We abstracted corresponding historical data for 2002-2007 from the benchmark publication by Morgan et al. We tested the null hypothesis that these two samples had the same distribution for number of publications using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. We explored the association of demographic factors and publication number using multivariable zero-inflated Poisson regression.ResultsThere were 334 residents publishing 659 eligible first-author publications during residency (range: 0−17; interquartile range: 0−3; mean: 2.0; median: 1). The contemporary and historical distributions were significantly different (P<0.001); contemporary publication rates were higher. Publications accrued late in residency (27% in PGY-4, 59% in PGY-5), and most were original research (75%). In the historical cohort, half of all papers were published in 3 journals; in contrast, the top half of contemporary publications were spread over 10 journals—most commonly International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics (17%), Practical Radiation Oncology (7%), and Radiation Oncology (4%). Male gender, non-PhD status, and larger residency size were associated with higher number of publications in the multivariable analysis.ConclusionWe observed an increase in first-author publications during training compared to historical data from the mid-2000s. These contemporary figures may be useful to medical students considering radiation oncology, current residents, training programs, and prospective employers.

Teaser

We explored contemporary trends in research productivity among U.S. radiation oncology residents. We observed an increase in first-author publications compared to historical data from the mid-2000s. Gender, PhD status, and residency size were associated with number of publications in a multivariable analysis.


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