Gender Differences in Academic Metrics Among Neuroradiology Fellowship Directors

Purpose: Gender disparities in academic productivity have been reported across medical specialty leadership. Prior analyses of radiology subspecialty fellowship directors (FDs) found no significant gender differences in pediatric, nuclear, musculoskeletal, and abdominal radiology. However, neuroradiology has not been evaluated. This study aims to analyze potential gender-based differences in academic metrics among neuroradiology FDs in the US.

Methods/Materials: A list of ACGME-accredited neuroradiology fellowship programs was obtained from the ACGME website. Collected variables included age, gender, and academic metrics (peer-reviewed publications, h-index, and citation count). Data were compiled in Excel and analyzed using Jamovi.

Results: Of the 93 subspecialty FDs identified, 2 were excluded due to incomplete Scopus data, leaving 91 FDs (19 women, 72 men) available for analysis. Women FDs demonstrated a mean citation count of 980.1 (SD = 2409.82) compared to 738.1 (SD = 910.07) for men FDs, with no statistically significant difference (U = 609, p = 0.467). Publication counts averaged 40.9 (SD = 62.77) for women and 32.0 (SD = 25.40) for men, showing no significant difference (U = 649, p = 0.736). The h-index analysis revealed similar results between women (mean = 11.1, SD = 11.27) and men (mean = 10.6, SD = 6.83), with no significant difference (U = 640, p = 0.667).

Conclusions: No statistically significant gender differences were found in academic productivity metrics among neuroradiology FDs. Women demonstrated comparable citations, publications, and h-index values. These findings align with prior radiology subspecialty analyses and suggest increasing gender parity in academic achievement at the fellowship leadership level. However, women remain underrepresented among neuroradiology FDs (21% vs 79% men), indicating a persistent leadership gap. Further qualitative research is needed to identify barriers to women attaining leadership roles in neuroradiology.