Development of a clinical-scholar index score for measuring academic contributions in urology

Objective To develop an academic index that would permit annual measurement of faculty non-clinical activities. Methods Academic activities were extracted from curriculum vitae (CV) and sorted into pre-determined categories. Categories were weighted based on discussion with department leadership. Weights were scaled 0-1 with 0 being defined as an activity that was non-essential to the mission, brought little to no external recognition or was beneath the appropriate milestone for the individual (middle author publications for a senior career staff member). 1 was defined as an activity that was essential to the department's mission, a significant time commitment for the individual, and provided external recognition. Annual scholarly index scores were determined for all participants based on their weighted contributions for the year. Results Early career staff primarily make contributions through peer reviewed publications and presentation. Velocity of scholarly contributions was greatest during the Mid-career (MC) stage. Senior career (SC) urologists had the most diverse array of contributions of any group. Like many of the MC faculty, SC faculty demonstrated a decrease in non-clinical productivity beginning in 2018 following a shift in organizational priorities to increased clinical productivity. Conclusions Non-clinical contributions of academic urologists can be quantified and tracked annually using this academic index. By doing so, leadership can more easily identify ways to support career development, which is especially important in mid-career, where individuals likely have the greatest opportunity for growth or stagnation. Finally, shifts in organization-wide priorities affect academic contributions and can be quantified by the model.