Demographics and Characteristics of US-Based Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship Program Directors: A 2023 Descriptive Analysis

Abstract

Fellowship program directors (FPDs) play an important role in the development of fellows and learners, but little is known about their demographics. This cross-sectional study aims to examine the characteristics of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery (MIGS) FPDs. A retrospective cross-sectional study. Data obtained from publicly available information on official websites of the program directors studied. MIGS fellowship program directors. All US-based MIGS programs affiliated with the AAGL in 2023 were included. Information about FPD gender, medical school attended and graduation year, residency program attended and graduation year, any additional graduate degrees earned, fellowship programs completed, and the year of their appointment as FPD was collected through publicly available sources. Scholarly activity was measured by peer-reviewed articles and the Hirsch index. Of the 54 FPDs, 28 (51.85%) were female and 26 (48.15%) were male. Male FPDs were significantly older (54.6 ± 8.7 years) than female FPDs (46.2 ± 5.0 years), p < 0.05. Average age at appointment was 43.1 ± 6.7 years, with female FPDs being appointed at significantly younger ages (39.4 ± 5.1 years) compared to male FPDs (44.5 ± 6.8 years), p < 0.05. Male FPDs had statistically significant higher Hirsch indices (14 ± 11.4) compared to female FPDs (8 ± 5.8), p < 0.05. Of the FPDs who completed a fellowship, 27 (50.00%) did so in MIGS, eight (14.81%) in Gynecologic-Oncology, six (11.11%) in Urogynecology, and four (7.41%) in Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility. MIGS fellowships have a uniquely equal representation of male and female FPDs, as surgical subspecialties historically tend to be male dominant. Notably, there is diversity in the type of fellowship pursued by MIGS FPDs, with nearly half of FPDs completing a fellowship outside of MIGS. The reasons for differences in scholarly contributions, indicated by Hirsch index, of male versus female FPDs is unclear.