Academic Status/Achievement of the Leaders in Medicine: Does It Have Any Importance in India

Abstract

Background: An individual’s research output is one of the important yardsticks in most western countries, which is one of the multiple parameters used to judge whether the person is suitable for an important position like the president of a medical associations or head of an institution. AIMS: We examined the research output of association and institutional heads in medicine in India to see how they compare with their counterparts in the United Kingdom (UK) and United States of America (USA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the Scopus database, we compared the average of the numbers of publications, number of citations and h-index of the presidents of a number of medical associations and vice chancellors, directors or deans of academic medical institutions in India, UK and USA for the year 2021–2022. Results: The average number of publications from association presidents in India was 65, UK – 77 and the USA – 183, citations were 1355, 2407 and 10,955, and their h-indexes were 11, 19 and 39. The average number of research publications, citations and h-index of the heads of institutions in India, UK and USA was 98, 191 and 245, respectively; citations were 1171, 10,822 and 22,300 and h-index were 15, 47 and 67. Conclusions: Individuals holding important position in medical associations and institutions in the USA were ahead in their research output compared to those in the UK and India.

Keywords

• citations
• highly cited researchers
• h-index
• number of publications
• research output