title: Standing on the shoulders of giants: results from the Radiation Oncology Academic Development and Mentorship Assessment Project (ROADMAP).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze survey information regarding mentorship practices and cross-correlate the results with objective metrics of academic productivity among academic radiation oncologists at US Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited residency training programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  An institutional review board-approved survey for the Radiation Oncology Academic Development and Mentorship Assessment Project (ROADMAP) was sent to 1031 radiation oncologists employed at an ACGME-accredited residency training program and administered using an international secure web application designed exclusively to support data capture for research studies. Data collected included demographics, presence of mentorship, and the nature of specific mentoring activities. Productivity metrics, including number of publications, number of citations, h-index, and date of first publication, were collected for each survey respondent from a commercially available online database, and m-index was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 158 academic radiation oncologists completed the survey, 96 of whom reported having an academic/scientific mentor. Faculty with a mentor had higher numbers of publications, citations, and h- and m-indices. Differences in gender and race/ethnicity were not associated with significant differences in mentorship rates, but those with a mentor were more likely to have a PhD degree and were more likely to have more time protected for research. Bivariate fit regression modeling showed a positive correlation between a mentor's h-index and their mentee's h-index (R2=0.16; P<.001). Linear regression also showed significant correlates of higher h-index, in addition to having a mentor (P=.001), included a longer career duration (P<.001) and fewer patients in treatment (P=.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mentorship is widely believed to be important to career development and academic productivity. These results emphasize the importance of identifying and striving to overcome potential barriers to effective mentorship.
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Emma B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Holliday
authors.affiliation: The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Reshma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jagsi
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health Science Center Knight Cancer Institute, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Charles R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut.
authors.forename: Lynn D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas; Oregon Health Science Center Knight Cancer Institute, Portland, Oregon. Electronic address: cdfuller@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Clifton D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Fuller
mesh_terms: D015706:Bibliometrics; D003625:Data Collection; D004522:Educational Status; D004526:Efficiency; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005180:Faculty, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008611:Mentors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011643:Publishing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018787:Radiation Oncology / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data