The Impact of H-Index in Predicting Academic Radiation Oncology Promotion

Purpose: In medical academia, the concept of productivity encompasses a wide array of factors, including an individual's research output, the impact of their work, and their overall influence within the profession. The Hirsch index (h-index) is a quantitative indicator frequently used to assess this productivity, representing the number of manuscripts (x) which have been cited at least x times. Understanding the impact of this statistic has been a focus of our earlier research in radiation oncology, specifically its relation to resident choice of academic versus private practice career, and its correlation with radiation oncologist academic rank. However, the role of h-index in relation to academic promotion has not previously been investigated in a systematic fashion. This research conducts a thorough investigation using data from our established nationwide cohort, building on previous basic investigations. Our primary objective was to carefully evaluate the relationship between h-index and professional growth, concentrating on academic promotion.

Methodology: A 2019 database of radiation oncologists from 51 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers was accessed in September 2023 to assess academic promotion in the four-year timespan. Our original data encompassed gender, graduation year, institution, professorial rank, departmental roles, and h-index. The 2023 assessment focused on oncologists who had a 2019 rank of junior faculty (defined as instructor/assistant professor) or associate professor. Assessment was obtained through an online search of current academic rank, followed by comparison with 2019 academic rank to determine presence or absence of promotion. The Fisher's exact test was used for analysis, with statistical significance defined as p < 0.05 in assessing the impact of h-index (obtained in December 2019) on promotion.

Results: Analysis of 554 radiation oncologists revealed that 338 individuals (61%) received promotions, and the remaining 216 (39%) did not. The mean h-index for the entire cohort was 12.3 (median = 9). Additionally there was a mean of 15.3 among those promoted versus 10 for those not promoted. Among those promoted, 156 (72%) had an h-index ≥ 9, while the remaining 60 had an h-index ≤ 8. Among those not promoted, only 163 (48%) had an h-index ≥ 9. The association between h-index and promotion status was statistically significant (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: These findings indicate that among academic radiation oncologists, h-index ≥ 9 is predictive of promotion within a four-year period. These findings emphasize the pivotal role of research on career progression, highlighting the necessity of widely cited publications for academic advancement.

References: McClelland S 3rd, Huang CC, Griffith KA, et al. Composition of the Current Academic Radiation Oncology Workforce in Comprehensive Cancer Centers. JCO Oncol Pract. 2022;18(5):e740-e747. doi:10.1200/OP.21.00609