Factors Affecting Academic Leadership in Dermatology
Although prior studies have examined methods by which to recruit and retain academic dermatologists, few have examined factors that are important for developing academic leaders in dermatology. This study sought to examine characteristics of dermatology residency programs that affect the odds of producing department or division chairs/chiefs and program directors (PDs). Data regarding program size, faculty, grants, alumni residency program attended, lectures, and publications for all accredited US dermatology residency programs were collected. Of the 103 programs examined, 46% had graduated at least 1 chair/chief, and 53% had graduated at least 1 PD. Results emphasize that faculty guidance and research may represent modifiable factors by which a dermatology residency program can increase its graduation of academic leaders.
Practice Points
- Leadership in dermatology is key to the future of academics.
- Opportunity for mentorship and research are the most important residency program factors leading to the graduation of future chairs/chiefs and program directors.
- The retention of residents and young faculty in academics can be aided by research and scholarly activity.
A limitation to this study is that the ratio of faculty to graduated residents for some programs likely has fluctuated over the last 35 years. This study assumed that certain programs remained generally small or large during the course of their existence, which was controlled by using the ratio between faculty and residents. Additionally, the number of years that a program has been in existence influences the likelihood of that program to graduate higher numbers of residents who become chairs/chiefs or PDs. As a result, we used multiple linear regression to control for the number of residents and number of years that a program had been in existence. Finally, while the relationship between academic leaders and research may be explained by the increased likelihood of faculty with more funding, publications, or lectures to be selected for leadership roles, this finding supports the notion that research can contribute to leadership. This analysis identifies modifiable factors among residency training programs to improve the odds of graduating future academic leaders.
Conclusion
As the present study shows, the ratio of faculty to residents and the number of full-time faculty publications are key to graduating academic leaders in dermatology. Retention of faculty as leaders in academic dermatology is as crucial to the field as recruitment of residents into academic dermatology. Mentorship should be highly encouraged through the creation of formal programs and should not end at the resident level. Emphasizing the intellectually stimulating aspects of academia and providing administrative resources may help decrease the burden of academic duties, allowing the pursuit of teaching and research and ultimately the resources to become candidates for leadership positions in academia.
