Clinical Ophthalmology (Nov 2021)
Scholarly Impact of Academic Ophthalmologists and Vision Scientists in Canada
Abstract
Michael T Kryshtalskyj,1 Matthew J Novello,2 Monali S Malvankar-Mehta,3,4 Marcelo T Nicolela,5 Cindy ML Hutnik3,6 1Department of Surgery (Section of Ophthalmology), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 2Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; 3Department of Ophthalmology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; 4Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; 5Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; 6Department of Pathology, Western University, London, Ontario, CanadaCorrespondence: Michael T KryshtalskyjDepartment of Surgery (Section of Ophthalmology), University of Calgary, Eye Clinic, Rockyview General Hospital, Main (Fourth) Floor, Fisher Building, 7007 14th Street SW, Calgary, T2V1P9, Alberta, CanadaTel +1-(647)-938-4450Email [email protected]: To outline the current impact of Canadian ophthalmology and vision science research as measured by novel research metrics.Design: Cross-sectional survey.Participants: All Canadian ophthalmologists (n = 687) and vision scientists (n = 119) with an online bibliometric profile and academic appointment at a major ophthalmology training centre were included.Methods: Faculty lists of Canada’s 15 major academic ophthalmology departments were obtained. Faculty names, appointments, sex, and educational background were recorded. Elsevier’s Scopus database was used to calculate H-index, m-quotient, and total citations for each faculty member. Details around grant funding were obtained through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Funding Decisions Database.Results: Average H-indices were 7.42 ± 7.98 for ophthalmologists and 23.78 ± 15.25 for vision scientists. Higher academic appointment was correlated with higher h-indices and m-quotients (p 0.05). In clinical ophthalmology research, the top three departments with the highest average H-indices were Western University, the University of Toronto, and Dalhousie University. The University of British Columbia, Université de Montréal, and McGill University received the most funding from the CIHR in the last 10 years.Conclusion: This study highlights the current scope of ophthalmology and vision science research in Canada. Important trends were identified in research productivity across academic rank, sex, and clinical subspecialty.Keywords: bibliometrics, h-index, m-quotient, scholarly impact, research, ophthalmology
