Academic Appointments Research Articles

PubMed-indexed Research Productivity of Urology Applicants and Residents: Does Medical Student Research Productivity Predict Resident Research or Pursuit of an Academic Career?

ObjectivesTo assess the research output of urology residents at top programs and investigate the correlation between medical school research productivity (MRP), research during residency (RRP), and pursuit of academic practice. Further, to characterize trends in MRP before and after the transition to pass/fail scoring of USMLE Step 1. MethodsOur team previously reported on the PubMed-indexed research productivity of applicants matching into top 50 urology programs. Here, we used the same list of residents, recorded their publications during residency, and noted their career paths, including fellowships, academic roles, or private practice. We then highlight the relationship between MRP, RRP, and pursuit of an academic career. We also highlight trends in MRP of applicants matching to top residency programs before and after the transition to pass/fail Step 1 exams. ResultsWe collected data on 727 residents. On multivariate logistic regression, total medical school publications (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.97, 1.19), total urology publications (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.92, 1.21), and total first author publications (OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.91, 1.33) were not associated with academic appointment after residency. On the other hand, RRP was correlated with pursuit of academics (1.08, 95% 1.03,1.14). MRP was significantly higher amongst applicants who applied with a pass/fail exam compared to those who did not. ConclusionMRP is not predictive of pursuing an academic career, but RRP is. There is a significant increase in average MRP of those matching to top urology programs after the transition to a pass/fail scoring system for Step 1.

Gender Disparity Among Top North American Medical Schools and Their Affiliated Radiology Departments: Medical school vs Radiology - Gender Diverse?

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the degree of gender disparity in leadership positions at the top 25 medical schools in North America compared to their affiliated radiology departments. MethodsThe academic rank and leadership appointment of medical school and radiology faculty were obtained from publicly available official websites between June-November 2022. Gender was determined using self-identified pronouns on website biographies. Alternatively, gender API software was used. Finally, SCOPUS Elsevier was used to extract research output metrics including publication counts, citations, and h-indices. Statistical analysis was conducted using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 25 software. Results2216 individuals across 25 medical schools were included in this study. 1301 (58.7%) were part of the medical school and 915 (41.3%) were part of the affiliated radiology departments. Additionally, 1575 (71.1%) were identified as men and 641 (28.9%) as women. Rank biserial correlations showed a significant association between higher academic rank and male gender (rpb = 0.143, p < 0.001) regardless of affiliation (medical school leadership versus radiology faculty); this disparity was largest at the highest academic ranks. Male gender was associated with higher research productivity relative to female gender regardless of affiliation (p < 0.001). There were minimal statistical differences in leadership positions between genders, however the proportion of men holding the position of dean was two times higher than women. ConclusionThe underrepresentation of women in academic medicine is prevalent in the top-ranking medical institutions in North America and disproportionately involves senior academic ranks and leadership positions.

Adopting academic rank in a rural community practice affiliated with an academic medical center

BackgroundUnited States rural community-based practices are increasingly participating in undergraduate and graduate medical education to train the workforce of the future, and are required or encouraged to provide academic appointments to physicians who have typically not held an academic appointment. Mechanisms to identify faculty and award academic appointments across an entire health system have not been reported.MethodsOur rural community regional practice identified academic appointments as important for participating in medical education. Over a three-year period, our regional leadership organized a formal education committee that led a variety of administrative changes to promote the adoption of academic rank. Data on attainment of academic appointments was obtained from our Academic Appointment and Promotion Committee, and cross referenced with data from our regional human resources department using self-reported demographic data.ResultsWe describe a successful adoption strategy for awarding academic rank in a rural regional practice in which the percentage of physician staff with academic rank increased from 41.1 to 92.8% over a 3-year period.ConclusionsOur experience shows that process changes can rapidly increase and then sustain academic appointments for physicians over time. More rural health systems may want to consider the use of academic rank to support educational programs while enhancing physician satisfaction, recruitment and retention.

Health and wellbeing of staff working at higher education institutions globally during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period: evidence from a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe ongoing global crisis of Higher Education (HE) institutions during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period has increased the likelihood of enduring psychological stressors for staff. This study aimed to identify factors associated with job insecurity, burnout, psychological distress and coping amongst staff working at HE institutions globally.MethodsAn anonymous cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 with staff at HE institutions across 16 countries. Job insecurity was measured using the Job Insecurity Scale (JIS), burnout using the Perceived Burnout measure question, psychological distress using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and coping using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Multivariable logistic regression with a stepwise variable selection method was used to identify associations.ResultsA total of 2,353 staff participated; the mean age (± SD) was 43(± 10) years and 61% were females. Most staff (85%) did not feel job insecurity, one-third (29%) perceived burnout in their jobs, more than two-thirds (73%) experienced moderate to very high levels of psychological distress, and more than half (58%) exhibited medium to high resilient coping. Perceived job insecurity was associated with staff working part-time [Adjusted Odds Ratio 1.53 (95% Confidence Intervals 1.15–2.02)], having an academic appointment [2.45 (1.78–3.27)], having multiple co-morbidities [1.86 (1.41–2.48)], perceived burnout [1.99 (1.54–2.56)] and moderate to very high level of psychological distress [1.68 (1.18–2.39)]. Perceived burnout was associated with being female [1.35 (1.12–1.63)], having multiple co-morbidities [1.53 (1.20–1.97)], perceived job insecurity [1.99 (1.55–2.57)], and moderate to very high levels of psychological distress [3.23 (2.42–4.30)]. Staff with multiple co-morbidities [1.46 (1.11–1.92)], mental health issues [2.73 (1.79–4.15)], perceived job insecurity [1.61 (1.13–2.30)], and perceived burnout [3.22 (2.41–4.31)] were associated with moderate to very high levels of psychological distress. Staff who perceived their mental health as good to excellent [3.36 (2.69–4.19)] were more likely to have medium to high resilient coping.ConclusionsFactors identified in this study should be considered in reviewing and updating current support strategies for staff at HE institutions across all countries to reduce stress and burnout and improve wellbeing.

Héctor Fernández-Álvarez (1944-2023).

This article memorializes Héctor Fernández-Álvarez (1944-2023). Héctor was an exceptional mentor, therapist, supervisor, professor, researcher, author, and leader, as well as a beloved brother, partner, father, and grandfather. The consummate renaissance person who embraced all manners of cultural expressions through an intentional wanderlust, he sought to understand all forms of human suffering and to alleviate senseless ones. Héctor's career spanned well over 5 decades. He received a licenciatura degree in 1967 from the University of Buenos Aires and a PhD in 1995 from the National University of San Luis, Argentina. Héctor held multiple academic appointments throughout Latin America and Spain. He authored over 100 journal articles or book chapters, and 16 books, including a novel, La Distancia (The Distance), and Fundamentals of an Integrated Model of Psychotherapy, one of the most respected psychotherapy books in Latin America and Spain. In 1977, Héctor challenged the constraints of a military dictatorship by founding Aiglé (the everlasting flame). Aiglé remains a nongovernmental organization that delivers clinical and community services and prepares mental health practitioners informed by an active research program that evaluates training and psychotherapeutic processes and outcomes. Over the years, Héctor advanced Aiglé as a practice-oriented research clinical setting to investigate psychotherapy as it unfolds in clinical practice. He developed an integrative model of care that resulted in Aiglé's cognitive-integrative model. Aiglé has grown to be a hallmark for research-based, leading-edge psychotherapy training in Latin America. Highlights of Héctor's career and professional contributions are noted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Success of Resident Research Grants in Orthopaedic Trauma From 2000 to 2022: A Retrospective Review.

The objective of this study was to determine the publication rate for orthopaedic trauma resident research projects that receive grant funding and the long-term academic involvement of the grant recipients. Retrospective. Publically available records for resident research grant recipients. Resident research grants on orthopaedic trauma topics from Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA), AO North America (AONA), and Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation from 2000 to 2022. Subsequent related publications, grant size, time to publication, sustained academic involvement of the residents as measured by academic position, total number of publications, and h-index. Three hundred ninety-seven orthopaedic trauma grants (OTA 117, AONA 225, and OREF 55) were identified. A total of 38% (151) of grants resulted in a publication with no significant difference between agencies (P = 0.94). The average amount awarded was $9,843, with no correlation to publication (P = 0.63). The mean time to publication was 3.57 ± 2.33 years. The time to publication for AONA was significantly longer than for OTA (4.14 vs. 2.83 years, P = 0.004). There was no difference in total publications, h-index, or NIH grants between grant recipients from different agencies. More OTA grant recipients held an academic position compared with AONA grant recipients (63% vs. 43%, P = 0.003). Grant awardees with initial publication success were 1.7 times as likely to have a future academic appointment (P = 0.014) and had 1.9 times the number of publications than those without (P = 0.001). Awardees with an h-index in the top quartile were significantly more likely to have published than those with an h-index in the bottom quartile (P = 0.007). Fewer than half of orthopaedic trauma-related resident research grants resulted in a publication with comparable rates across agencies. Grant size did not predict publication success. Publication success was a positive predictor of continued academic involvement. Most publications occurred within 5 years, suggesting that these grants may be most helpful in career development if awarded during the first 1-2 years of a 5-year orthopaedic residency program.

Integration of Clinical Trial Development in Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Training.

Several barriers to physicians becoming clinical investigators exist, including inexperience, lack of available mentors, and inconsistent instructive approaches with varying degrees of participation during training. These barriers cause fewer hematology-oncology fellows to pursue academic careers. A consensus is needed on structuring education in clinical investigation paired with active participation in development of a clinical trial guided by a mentor with the goal of increasing fellow interest in clinical research and pursuit of careers in academic medicine. The clinical trial development (CTD) program was initiated at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 2002 as a hands-on learning experience for hematology and oncology fellows in the design, implementation, and publication of clinical trials. Each fellow was required to identify a mentor and propose at least 1 prospective investigator-initiated clinical trial. At the time of data abstraction in July 2023, 118 fellows had participated in the CTD program and initiated protocols in a variety of areas according to their interests. Fellows were included in data abstraction if their fellowship began in 2002 through 2021; the program is ongoing, and the most recent class will graduate in 2024. Disease types were evenly distributed between solid tumor oncology (60 [51%]) or classic and malignant hematology (58 [49%]). Ninety-three fellows (79%) obtained institutional review board approval, and 60 (65%) published their results. Among graduating fellows, 67 (66%) secured an academic faculty appointment. Fellows with institutional review board-approved projects had significantly higher odds of obtaining an academic faculty appointment (odds ratio, 4.96; 95% confidence interval, 1.54, 15.98; P = .007).Next StepsNext steps will be to further evaluate the effect of the mentorship network on early career productivity of trainees that graduate and the feasibility of extending the program to another institution.

The Gender Pay Gap in Academia: Evidence from the Beedie School of Business

We analyzed gender pay gap in academia using detailed performance data of all faculty members at the Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, during 2012–2022. Although we initially observed a small average pay gap in favor of male academics, we found that female academics received higher remuneration compared to their male counterparts, once we controlled for research and teaching productivity, prior education and work experience, ethnicity, and various academic appointments. Our results provide an insight into possible sources of gender bias and highlight the need to control for teaching and research performance when investigating gender pay gaps.

Assessing the impact of Canadian primary care research and researchers: Citation analysis.

To describe the citation impact and characteristics of Canadian primary care researchers and research publications. Citation analysis. Canada. A total of 266 established Canadian primary care researchers. The 50 most cited primary care researchers in Canada were identified by analyzing data from the Scopus database. Various parameters, including the number of publications and citations, research themes, Scopus h index, content analysis, journal impact factors, and field-weighted citation impact for their publications, were assessed. Information about the characteristics of these researchers was collected using the Google search engine. On average, the 50 most cited primary care researchers produced 51.1 first-author publications (range 13 to 249) and were cited 1864.32 times (range 796 to 9081) over 29 years. Twenty-seven publications were cited more than 500 times. More than half of the researchers were men (60%). Most were clinician scientists (86%) with a primary academic appointment in family medicine (86%) and were affiliated with 5 universities (74%). Career duration was moderately associated with the number of first-author publications (0.35; P=.013). Most research focused on family practice, while some addressed health and health care issues (eg, continuing professional education, pharmaceutical policy). Canada is home to a cadre of primary care researchers who are highly cited in the medical literature, suggesting that their work is of high quality and relevance. Building on this foundation, further investments in primary care research could accelerate needed improvements in Canadian primary care policy and practice.

Neurosurgical Practice, Training, and Research Capacity Assessment in Nigeria: A Methodological Approach

There has been a progressive growth of neurosurgery in Nigeria over the past 6 nulldecades. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the state of neurosurgical practice, training, and research in the country. We used a mixed-methods approach that combined a survey of neurosurgery providers and a systematic review of the neurosurgical literature in Nigeria. The 83-question online survey had 3 core sections for assessing capacity, training, and gender issues. The systematic review involved a search of 4 global databases and gray literature over a 60-year period. One hundred and forty-nine respondents (95% male) completed the survey (65.4%). Their age ranged from 20 to 68years, with a mean of 41.8 (±6.9) years. Majority were from institutions in the nation's South-West region; 82 (55.0%) had completed neurosurgery residency training, with 76 (51%) employed as consultants; 64 (43%) identified as residents in training, 56 (37.6%) being senior residents, and 15 (10.1%) each held academic appointments as lecturers or senior lecturers. The literature review involved 1,023 peer-reviewed journal publications: 254 articles yielding data on 45,763 neurotrauma patients, 196 on 12,295 pediatric neurosurgery patients, and 127 on 8,425 spinal neurosurgery patients. Additionally, 147 papers provided data on 5,760 neuro-oncology patients, and 56 on 3,203 patients with neuro-vascular lesions. Our mixed-methods approach provided significant insights into the historical, contemporary, and future trends of neurosurgery in Nigeria. The results could form the foundation for policy improvement; health-system strengthening; better resource-planning, prioritization, and allocation; and more purposive collaborative engagement in Nigeria and other low- and middle-income countries.

Factors affecting retirement and workforce attrition in neurosurgery: results of a Council of State Neurosurgical Societies national survey.

By 2030, the US will not have enough neurosurgeons to meet the clinical needs of its citizens. Replacement of neurosurgeons due to attrition can take more than a decade, given the time-intensive training process. To identify potential workforce retention targets, the authors sought to identify factors that might impact neurosurgeons' retirement considerations. The Council of State Neurosurgical Societies surveyed practicing AANS-registered neurosurgeons via email link to an online form with 25 factors that were ranked using a Likert scale of importance regarding retirement from the field (ranging from 1 for not important to 3 for very important). All participants were asked: "If you could afford it, would you retire today?" A total of 447 of 3200 neurosurgeons (14%) responded; 6% had been in practice for less than 5 years, 19% for 6-15 years, 57% for 16-30 years, and 18% for more than 30 years. Practice types included academic (18%), hospital employed (31%), independent with academic appointment (9%), and full independent practice (39%). The most common practice size was between 2 and 5 physicians (46%), with groups of 10 or more being the next most common (20%). Career satisfaction, income, and the needs of patients were rated as the most important factors keeping neurosurgeons in the workforce. Increasing regulatory burden, decreasing clinical autonomy, and the burden of insurance companies were the highest rated for factors important in considering retirement. Subgroup analysis by career stage, practice size, practice type, and geographic region revealed no significant difference in responses. When considering if they would retire now, 45% of respondents answered "yes." Subgroup analysis revealed that midcareer neurosurgeons (16-25 years in practice) were more likely to respond "yes" than those just entering their careers or in practice for more than 25 years (p = 0.03). This effect was confirmed in multivariate logistic regression (p = 0.04). These surgeons found professional satisfaction (p = 0.001), recertification requirements (p < 0.001), and maintaining high levels of income (p = 0.008) important to maintaining employment within the neurosurgical workforce. This study demonstrates that midcareer neurosurgeons may benefit from targeted retention efforts. This effort should focus on maximizing professional satisfaction and financial independence, while decreasing the regulatory burden associated with certification and insurance authorization. End-of-career surgeons should be surveyed to determine factors contributing to resilience and persistence within the neurosurgical workforce.

Group peer mentoring to improve faculty connections and enhance mentoring networks.

Difficulty finding mentors and forging connections in academic departments can be challenging and became even more so when the COVID-19 pandemic reduced opportunities for informal networking. Even as restrictions on in-person meetings eased, many faculty preferred meetings to remain virtual. Because some of the most powerful predictors of faculty vitality are positive professional relationships and feelings of inclusion and belonging to an institution, attending to faculty needs in this area is important to mitigate undesired lingering consequences. We created structured peer mentoring groups for our department's physicians and psychologists that meet virtually. Groups span career stages, academic appointments and clinical interests. The purpose was to establish a deeper culture of mentoring, increase feelings of connection to a supportive community within the department, facilitate career planning and enhance the development of skills necessary in academic medicine such as teaching skills, scholarly productivity and personal wellness. A survey conducted after the first year of the programme was completed by 70% of eligible faculty (31/45). Ninety-six percent felt the programme had created an inclusive and appreciative culture, 86% met faculty members they had never met before and 79% sought mentoring advice from a colleague they would not usually have interacted with in that manner. All participants appreciated hearing their colleagues' perspectives on topics they do not typically discuss. Departmentally based group peer mentoring that spans career stages and interests can facilitate faculty connections and enhance a supportive culture of mentorship.

Australian surgeon attitudes and experiences towards completing a higher degree by research.

Objective In Australia, there is little evidence exploring why higher degrees by research (HDRs) are undertaken by surgeons. This study aims to describe the attitudes and experiences of surgical trainees and surgeons towards HDRs. Methods A 23-question cross-sectional survey of surgical trainees and consultant surgeons from three Australian public hospitals was undertaken between August and December 2022. Data were analysed according to stage of career and HDR status and assessed using chi-squared test, with P <0.05 considered significant. Results Out of 270 participants, 72 (27%) completed the survey including 30 (42%) trainees and 42 (58%) consultants. Overall, 43 (60%) participants had completed or were undertaking a HDR, which was similar between trainees (n =18) and consultants (N =25; P =0.968). A HDR was associated with more publications (P <0.5). Respondents with a HDR were more likely to have a salaried academic position (50%) than those without (15%). There was no significant difference in academic appointments based on HDR attainment (P =0.192). For surgical trainees, 93% rated the strengthening of resumes as the primary driver, compared with only 60% of consultants. For consultants, academic career aspirations and research interests were ranked the highest at 64% equally. Lack of time and competing nature of surgical training were equally ranked among all as the key barriers to completing a HDR. Conclusions These results provide insight into the academic pursuits of surgeons with an understanding of the role HDRs play, including the different drivers for Masters and Doctorates. This is important for supporting future surgeons who seek to pursue research.

Akademisyenlerin Dil Desteği Almakla ve Bunu Çalışmalarda Belirtmekle İlgili Görüşleri

The 21st century has witnessed the global spread of English as a lingua franca (ELF) across numerous areas, including science and academia, as a consequence of the interplay of various not-so-innocent historical circumstances and the inevitable effects of globalization. The overwhelming dominance of English as an academic lingua franca (EALF) has put academics all over the world under growing pressure to publish in English for various legitimate reasons such as increasing their international visibility, receiving grants and other awards, and satisfying academic appointment and promotion criteria. Consequently, non-native English speaking (NNES) academics have increasingly resorted to professional and/or non-professional language assistance such as translation, proofreading, and editing to get their English-language publications accepted by publishers. This study explored native Turkish-speaking academics’ views and experiences of receiving English language assistance to publish studies and acknowledging the assistance received in published studies. To this end, an online survey was first administered to a non-random sample of academics from various disciplines, and then online interviews were held with a self-selected group of survey respondents. The survey results showed that most academics first write their studies in Turkish and then have someone else translate them into English, and they receive language assistance from various service providers but mostly from freelance translators. While the assistance received is rarely acknowledged in published studies, the most selected reason for this is that journal editors/publishers do not require to do so. However, the analysis of the interview data showed that academics’ concern over possible negative associations about their (in)competence in English is the most prominent reason behind the non-acknowledgement of the assistance received. In conclusion, the present academic publishing industry dominated by EALF seems to be a major site that has created a burgeoning market for language services, while the work of language workers is taken for granted and almost always remains unacknowledged and, by extension, invisible.

Differential Time-To-Promotion Trajectories Among Female and Male Neurosurgeons Contribute to Gender Disparities in Academic Rank Achievement

Despite the increasing representation of females in neurosurgical training, the fraction of female to male neurosurgeons decreases dramatically as faculty rank (Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor) increases. To assess this discrepancy, we quantified self-reported time-to-promotion trajectories for female and male neurosurgeons holding academic appointments. In this cross-sectional institutional review board (IRB)-approved study, 147 female and 84 male neurosurgeons currently holding faculty positions in the US were contacted via email and invited to complete an anonymous, standardized survey. Respondents provided the calendar year of postgraduate training completion, promotion to different faculty ranks, geographic region of current practice (Western, Midwest, Southern, Northeast), and practice subspecialty. The response rate was 44.2% for females and 59.5% for males, with 114 participants included (65 female, 49 male). On average, female neurosurgeons required 25% longer to become an Associate Professor (P= 0.017), 34% longer to become a Full Professor (P= 0.004), 37% longer for promotion from Assistant to Associate Professor (P < 0.001), and 32% longer from Assistant to Full Professor (P= 0.012). Promotion timelines did not vary by region or specialty among male and female cohorts. Linear regressions revealed that female neurosurgeons with more recent training completion experienced shorter time-to-promotion to Associate and Full Professor compared to females of earlier generations (P= 0.005 and 0.001, respectively), while male timelines remained stable. This study identifies a significant delay in time-to-promotion for female neurosurgeons compared to their male counterparts. Investigation and standardization of promotion timelines are necessary to ensure meaningful representation gains from the increased number of women entering neurosurgical training.

Demographics and Research Activity Among 2023 Academic Glaucoma Specialists

ABSTRACT Purpose To characterize demographics, academic characteristics, and research activity of academic glaucoma specialists. Methods Faculty demographic and academic data were recorded for glaucoma specialist faculty from 99 United States ophthalmology residency programs using institutional websites, Doximity, and LinkedIn. H-index was calculated using Scopus. Mean and weighted relative citation ratio (RCR), measuring research impact and productivity, respectively, was determined with the National Institute of Health iCite tool. Results Most academic glaucoma specialists were men (0.61), located in the Southern United States (0.316), and in practice for less than or equal to 10 years in 2023 (0.324). Twenty-six percent had additional professional degrees, and 11% completed fellowship training in addition to clinical glaucoma. Assistant professor was the most common academic appointment (0.479), and almost a quarter (0.23) had additional positions. Mean h-index (13.3), mean-RCR (1.76), and weighted-RCR (84.0) were consistent with high research productivity and impact. Gender comparison found that men had significantly higher h-index (p < .001), m-RCR (p = .007), w-RCR (p < .001) as compared to women. H-index (p < .001; p < .001; p < .001), m-RCR (p = .006; p < .001; p < .001), and w-RCR (p < .001; p < .001; p < .001) also increased with career duration, academic position, and additional academic appointments, respectively. Additional training was associated with higher h-index (p = .023) and w-RCR (p = .012), but not m-RCR (p = .699). Conclusion Higher research activity is significantly associated with higher departmental positions and additional academic appointments. This illustrates the importance of research contributions for academic promotion. Variations in research activity by gender distribution may therefore affect opportunities for career advancement.

Assessment of Higher Education Programmes for Enhancing the Postgraduate Community

This article assesses the higher education research capacity building programmes designed to enhance the postgraduate community and scholarly publishing. Post-graduate studies are potential components for promoting knowledge, increasing institutional outputs. Post-graduate studies are likely to create research profile for students who seek future academic appointments. In spite of that higher institutions in low-income countries face serious challenges in building research capacity. This is compounded by local institutional competition for rankings and ratings. To some extent, investments in research usually take a long time before leading to demonstrable results. Yet again postgraduate students across disciplines feel pressure to publish their scholarship and remain unsure partly due to a lack of explicit training. Once more part of academic written output remains unpublished resulting to grey literature. Publishing requires a cocktail of skills in practical activities, and a broad awareness of theoretical/academic developments and trends. A large number of agencies evolved to offer programmes with the aim to expand research capacity in certain kinds of institutions. Institutions hold opposing mechanisms for supporting and sustaining research capacity among postgraduate students. A desk study approach is considered to collect data. Desktop study reviewed the key strategies, models for building postgraduate research capacity and programmes designed for increasing postgraduate scholarly publishing among the South African universities. The research reveals that the Cooke’s framework potentially offers a mechanism to contribute to the realisation of the research capacity building goals. A set of recommendations are offered for programme improvement.

Linguistic reasons and professional concerns behind Turkish academicians' self-translation of academic texts

This study analyzes the linguistic reasons and professional concerns that motivate Turkish academicians to self-translation. To this end, a structured interview was conducted with twelve academicians from three disciplines who reported that they self-translate. The results indicate that the main linguistic reason for academicians to resort to self-translation is feeling incompetent in writing directly in English. The most common professional concern is to contribute to international literature and to get academic appointments and academic incentive payment points by publishing in English. It has been observed that academicians have created a system of publishing in English through self-translation as a solution to these two groups of reasons and concerns: they first write their articles in Turkish, then self-translate with machine translation tools, and have them proofread before publishing. The results offer insights into the self-translation of academic texts through Turkish academicians; however, further comparative research with other non-native English-speaking academicians is needed.

Gender trends in dentistry: Dental faculty and academic leadership.

Gender equality in the healthcare workforce has been a topic of discourse for many decades. In dental academia, women's representation of enrolled students and faculty has risen consistently since the 1980s. However, women in faculty leadership positions may still be lagging when compared to men. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the number of women who occupy the upper echelons of academic rank and title by analyzing cross-referenced data from the American Dental Association and the American Dental Education Association on women dental school graduates in relation to academic appointments. Gender distribution in rank, title, and appointments in the decade from 2011 to 2019, as well as percentage of women graduates over the same period, were collected for descriptive statistics. Multiple linear regression analysis, Cochran Armitage, and chi-square tests were conducted to examine trends over the years and to determine significant differences in overall percentages (p<0.05). The total women faculty percentages ranged from 36% to 40%. While the lower-level rank of instructor retained a higher representation of women (56%-65%), the higher rank of professor had disproportionately lower women percentages (18%-26%). Graduates, full-time faculty, lower-level academic ranks, and higher-level academic ranks for women followed similar upward trends that were statistically significant (p<0.05). When comparing the different groups against each other, the annual increase in women DMD/DDS graduate percentage was higher than women full-time faculty (0.28%), instructor rank (0.92%), professor rank (0.50%), and department chair appointments (0.49%). Our data show that women are still underrepresented at higher academic ranks. However, the upward trends for professors, assistant deans, and program chairs suggest that in recent years, more women faculty may have been encouraged, mentored, or offered higher administrative positions in academic institutions.

Temporary academics in South African higher education institutions: Their lived precarity experiences

Temporary academic appointments are increasingly prevalent in higher education institutions across the globe. The lived experiences of temporary academic staff within South African higher education institutions were explored. Twenty-six temporary academic staff (females = 69%, black = 75%, white = 25%, other = none) participated in semi-structured interviews on their lived employment experiences. Six themes emerged from the thematic analysis: (1) negotiating desire versus despair; (2) living in limbo, (3) stunted career growth, (4) disillusionment and emotions of exploitation, (5) marginalised as an outsider, and (6) dehumanised work experience. The temporary academics stated a desire for fair human resource support, recognition, and being valued for their contribution to the academy similar to their permanent/full-time counterparts. These findings indicate that employment precarity for temporary academics should be addressed with employment practices and policies to improve their quality of work life.