Characterization of Training of the Female Academic Neurosurgical Workforce and Correlations with Academic Productivity

Introduction: Female neurosurgeons practice at academic centers across the nation and have enjoyed increased representation in the field of academic neurosurgery over the last 20 years. This study aimed to characterize their training and correlate it with measures of academic productivity.

Methods: A demographic analysis was conducted to evaluate women neurosurgeons on faculty at ACGME-accredited residency programs. Data were collected in June 2024 from public sources. Scopus h-Indices, training data, and American Medical Association (AMA) regional designations were gathered, and programs were contacted for verification. Variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics and comparisons were performed using one-way ANOVA (p < 0.05).

Results: 220 female neurosurgeons were identified. Yale, Columbia, and Stanford medical schools trained the most women neurosurgeons (8 each). For residency training, the Yale-New Haven Medical Center Program has trained the most female neurosurgeons currently in academic practice (8), followed by Johns Hopkins, The Mount Sinai Hospital, and Stanford (7 each). Neurosurgeons who studied at the medical schools of Stanford University, Harvard University, and the University of California - San Francisco had the highest average h-Indices (26.38±25.43, 25.50±16.03, and 21.67±5.51, respectively), while neurosurgeons who completed residency training at UCSF, Columbia, and Brigham and Women’s had the highest average h-Indices (34.33±12.36, 29.00±24.48, and 28.20±21.15, respectively). No significant differences were found between mean levels of academic productivity of graduates from different institutions at both medical school and neurosurgical residency levels.

Conclusion : Yale, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, The Mount Sinai Hospital, and Columbia have trained the most female academic neurosurgeons. Graduates of Stanford medical school were the most academically productive, while graduates of UCSF residency program were the most academically productive. However, female surgeons are widely productive across residency training programs and medical schools. This study opens a new avenue of research into the female academic neurosurgical workforce.