Predictors of Plastic Surgeons Becoming Presidents of National Professional Organizations

Abstract

PURPOSE: National professional organizations have a large presence in plastic surgery. While specific presidential duties vary by organization, presidents always occupy the pinnacle of leadership. Metrics were evaluated between academic plastic surgeons that were and were not presidents of national organizations to determine predictors of becoming a president of a national organization. METHODS: A cross-sectional review was performed to collect demographic, academic, scholarly, and other variables from full-time plastic surgeon faculty affiliated with United States residency training programs during the 2020–2021 academic year. Comparisons were made between non-presidents and presidents of national organizations. Univariate, followed by multivariate regressions were performed to determine predictors of becoming a president of 17 national organizations. RESULTS: Of the 951 academic plastic surgeons, 879 were non-presidents and 72 were presidents of national organizations. Surgeons were more likely to become president if they were an officer/director of the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) (OR: 16.67, 95%CI: 5.83, 47.66; P < 0.001), chief/chair of a division/department (OR: 3.10, 95%CI: 1.09, 8.79; P = 0.033), endowed (OR:5.45, 95%CI: 1.65, 18.04; P = 0.006), National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded (OR:4.57, 95%CI: 1.24, 16.88; P = 0.023), affiliated with an integrated residency program (OR: 3.96, 95%CI: 1.27, 12.33; P = 0.018), and with a greater number of years in practice (OR:1.09, 95%CI: 1.04, 1.14; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Plastic surgeons were more likely to become president of a national organization if they were an officer/director of the ABPS, chief/chair of a division/department, endowed, NIH funded, affiliated with an integrated residency program, and with a greater number of years in practice. These predictors may guide those interested in becoming president of a national organization.