Abstract 12835: Transitions in Academic Cardiothoracic Surgery From 2018 to 2020

Abstract

Introduction: New training paradigms and increasing surgeon demands have shaped how individuals enter and exit academia. We examined the characteristics of surgeons who moved into and out of academic cardiothoracic (CT) surgery between 2018 and 2020. Methods: We created a database of academic CT surgeons in the U.S. at all 77 accredited CT surgery training institutions in 2018 (n=992) and all 79 such institutions in 2020 (n=1065). Surgeon-specific professional history data were obtained from institutional webpages and other publicly available sources. Categorical data are presented as counts with percentage. Results: Between 2018 and 2020, 119/992 (12.0%) surgeons exited centers with training programs. Of the 992 surgeons in 2018, 22 (2.2%) passed away or retired, 38 (3.8%) moved to a university center without a training program, and 53 (5.3%) moved to private or community practice. 56/992 (5.6%) surgeons also moved from one training center to another between 2018 and 2020, with 19 (33.9%) moving to an institution with greater National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. At these 2020 institutions, 15 (26.8%) are now assistant professors, 17 (30.4%) associate professors, and 21 (37.5%) professors; 20 (35.7%) received a promotion in academic rank upon moving. Between 2018 and 2020, 164/1065 (15.4%) surgeons entered centers with training programs. Directly before entering, 9 (5.5%) completed I6 residencies, 45 (27.4%) completed traditional CT surgery fellowships, 39 (23.8%) completed advanced CT surgery fellowships, 34 (20.7%) were attendings at a university center without a training program, and 17 (10.4%) were attendings in private or community practice. Of the 77 institutions in both 2018 and 2020, there was a median increase of 1 surgeon per institution, with 20 (26.0%) programs shrinking in size, 13 (16.9%) staying stable, and 44 (57.1%) expanding. Conclusions: Between 2018 and 2020, there has been growth in academic CT surgery with a net increase of surgeon faculty by 4.5% and a majority of training centers expanding faculty size. Among those who switched institutions, more stayed in academia than shifted to private practice. This transition from one training program to another represents one of the many diverse pathways into academic CT surgery.