Measuring Institutional Research Culture: An Analysis of Accepted Abstracts at the Academic Surgical Congress

Abstract Introduction Understanding which institutions have a strong research culture is important for trainees, but existing metrics such as NIH funding do not always reflect a trainee’s lived experience. Here, we present a descriptive analysis of accepted abstracts at the Academic Surgical Congress (ASC). Methods We analyzed accepted abstracts at the Academic Surgical Congress between 2016 and 2024. We identified institutions with the most accepted abstracts, overall and by year. We also identified institutions with the greatest year-over-year improvement between 2022 and 2024. Finally, we calculated associations between accepted abstracts and NIH funding and also between accepted abstracts and leadership in the ASC’s hosting societies. Results A total of 12,142 abstracts were accepted by the ASC between 2016 and 2024. The University of Alabama and the University of Michigan led overall abstract acceptances and also led in most years. Baylor and Massachusetts General Hospital had the greatest absolute and percent year-over-year increase in abstract acceptances in the post-COVID era. There was a positive association between NIH funding and abstract acceptances. Among the top 40 institutions by accepted abstracts in 2024, institutions in the top 10 were over 10 times as likely to have leadership representation in the societies that host the ASC. Conclusions Conference abstracts may serve as a useful measure of trainee-relevant research culture. Trainees can utilize this information when selecting residency programs, and programs can use this information to optimize trainee research experiences.