Scholarly Productivity of Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship Directors: A National Cross-Sectional Analysis

Abstract

Background

The updated 2026 American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) approved Advanced Emergency Medicine Ultrasonography requirements specify that fellowship directors must demonstrate scholarly activity through ≥ 5 first-, second-, or last-author publications. Contemporary data describing scholarly productivity among emergency ultrasound fellowship directors (EUSFDs) is limited.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study of U.S. emergency ultrasound fellowship programs listed by the Society of Clinical Ultrasound Fellowships (SCUF). Publication histories were identified through PubMed, the SCUF website, MedEdPORTAL, and ACEP (American College of Emergency Physicians) Sonoguide. Qualifying publications included original research, reviews, editorials, educational scholarship, and other PubMed-indexed work. The primary outcome was the proportion of EUSFDs meeting the 2026 publication benchmark of ≥ 5 first-, second-, or last-author emergency ultrasound publications. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated factors associated with meeting this threshold.

Results

Among 134 eligible programs, EUSFDs had a median of 3 years in their role (IQR 1–6) and 1 qualifying publication (IQR 0–4). Twenty-six directors (19.4%) met the 2026 publication benchmark based on identified publications. Fifty-seven (42.5%) had at least one first-author publication, and 70 (52.2%) had at least one first- or last-author publication. Under the 2011 requirements, 56 directors (41.8%) met publication criteria. Interrater agreement was high (kappa = 0.895). Each additional year as a fellowship director was associated with 12% greater odds of meeting the publication threshold (aOR 1.12, 95% CI 1.02–1.24).

Conclusions

Among U.S. EUS fellowship programs, one in five EUSFDs met the 2026 publication benchmark based on identified publications. Longer-serving directors were more likely to meet the publication benchmark, although this association may reflect career duration or prior scholarly productivity. As expectations for fellowship leadership evolve, national efforts focused on mentorship, support, collaboration, and protected time may help support scholarly development and facilitate attainment of these standards.