February 13, 2019

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) set out to determine five of the most academically-productive orthopaedic surgery centers in the United States. 

Their study, “Evaluation of US Orthopaedic Surgery Academic Centers Based on Measurements of Academic Achievement”, examined full-time faculty members from 138 academic centers across the United States. The study used objective measurements that are linked to academic achievements to determine an accurate and complete assessment of the accomplishments at orthopaedic surgery academic centers.

The study used the following metrics:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in 2013
• Number of publications
• Hirschberg-index (ie, a metric of impact of publications)
• Leadership positions held in orthopaedic surgery societies
• Editorial board positions of top orthopaedic and subspecialty journals

Using a weighted algorithm for these measurements, the results acknowledged the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis as a top academically-productive orthopedic program in the United States through ground-breaking research and faculty leadership.

This study may establish future benchmarks for other academic orthopedic practices who hope to increase their research productivity.