Racial disparities in research productivity among integrated plastic surgery applicants

Bohler, F., Koenig, Z. A., Noorani, A., Burmeister, J. R., Dimock, E., Harvey, A., Kongkrit Chaiyasate, & Selber, J. C. (2025). Racial disparities in research productivity among integrated plastic surgery applicants. Journal of Plastic Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, 111, 109–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjps.2025.10.012

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Background

Getting into a plastic surgery training program right after medical school is very competitive. These programs are called "integrated plastic surgery" (IPS). When students apply, having research projects on their application is very important.

Some older studies looked at doctors already in plastic surgery training. Those studies said there were no research differences based on race. However, those studies mixed doctors from two different training paths (integrated and independent). This might have hidden differences that exist when students are first applying to the programs. This new study wanted to look only at the students applying for the competitive integrated programs to see if there are research differences based on race.

Methods

This study looked at applications for integrated plastic surgery (IPS) programs from three application years (2020-2023). The information came from the official group that manages plastic surgery applications.

The researchers grouped applicants based on the race or ethnicity they reported themselves: White, Asian, Hispanic, and Black or African American.

They counted the number of research projects each applicant listed. This included:

• Published articles (manuscripts)

• Book chapters

• Presentations (oral or poster)

Then, they compared the average number of these research items for each group. They also looked at what percentage of applicants from each group had at least one research project.

Results

Applicant Demographics

Differences in Research Output

Financial Barriers in Publications

Match Placements into Top 20 Residency Programs

Conclusion

The researchers concluded that there are real, significant differences in research among students applying for integrated plastic surgery programs.

White and Asian applicants generally have more research on their applications than Black or African American and Hispanic applicants.

Because research is so important for getting into these programs, this difference could be a major barrier. It might make it harder for applicants from some racial groups to be chosen for these competitive spots.

Why This Matters

This is important because if research is used as a major factor to pick residents, and some racial groups have less research, it could be a form of bias. This "research gap" might be stopping talented students from underrepresented groups from getting a chance to become plastic surgeons. This can keep the field of plastic surgery from being as diverse as the patients it serves.

Next Steps

More research is needed to understand why these differences exist. For example, are students from some groups getting better advice (mentorship), more funding, or more opportunities to take time off for a "research year"?

Knowing the reasons can help find solutions. Programs that choose residents might also need to think about how much they value research. They could look more closely at other parts of an application to find the best future doctors, not just the ones with the longest list of research projects. Some groups are already working on programs to help support and prepare diverse students for research in plastic surgery.