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Could H Index be a Beneficial Prospective Promotion Metric?

Objectives 
The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between Hirsch index and academic rank among shoulder and elbow surgeons affiliated with American Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (ASES) fellowship programs. Additional variables investigated included total number of publications and training program affiliation. 
  
Design 
Database review 
  
Intervention 
H-index, total number of publications, academic rank, and fellowship training pedigree for shoulder and elbow surgeons on faculty at ASES fellowship programs. 
  
Main Outcome Measurement 
Data normality was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Variance was assessed using Kruskall-Wallis test for non-parametric data that were not normally distributed due to skew and outliers. Post-hoc analysis on non-normally distributed data was performed using Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroni correction. Median differences for non-normal data were determined by Hodges-Lehman estimation. 
  
Results 
There is a strong correlation between total number of publications and h-index. Overall, there is a strong association with number of publications, h-index and training program affiliation with higher academic rank, except at the chair/director position. Type of fellowship training was not a significant predictor of academic rank. A higher proportion of junior faculty were found to have faculty appointments with their home training program. 
  
Conclusion 
H-index and total number of publications are associated with a higher academic rank for full-time shoulder and elbow fellowship affiliated surgeons.