Regional differences in institutional characteristics, faculty composition, and fellowship availability across US pediatric ophthalmology programs.

PURPOSE: To examine regional differences in faculty composition, fellowship availability, and faculty characteristics in US pediatric ophthalmology programs.

METHODS

Program characteristics, faculty demographics, academic rank, and research productivity were collected from the institutional websites of 111 academic pediatric ophthalmology programs across four US regions: Northeast, South, Midwest, and West. The following variables were analyzed: number and percentage of pediatric ophthalmologists, presence of pediatric ophthalmology fellowships, and faculty characteristics, such as gender distribution and length of practice.

RESULTS

The West had the highest average number of pediatric ophthalmologists per program (4.6), followed by the Midwest (4.4), Northeast (3.8), and South (3.4) (P = 0.37), with pediatric ophthalmologists constituting 13.7% of total ophthalmology faculty in the Northeast, 14.5% in the South, 11.8% in the Midwest, and 12.7% in the West (P = 0.60). The proportion of ophthalmology departments offering a pediatric fellowship was higher in the Midwest (53.6%) than in the West (33.3%), South (21.6%), and Northeast (16.1%) (P = 0.01). The average years in practice for academic pediatric ophthalmologists was highest in the Northeast (19.7 years) compared with other regions (P = 0.03). Female representation ranged from 49.5% in the Northeast to 67.2% in the West (P = 0.08).

CONCLUSIONS

Regional differences exist in pediatric ophthalmology programs, particulary in fellowship availability, faculty composition, and funding. These variations may influence workforce distribution and training opportunities, highlighting the need for targeted strategies to support regions with lower representation.