Survey of the Faculty Status of Optometrists at Academic Medical Centers in the United States.

SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first study of the prevalence and faculty status of optometrists practicing at academic medical centers in the United States.

PURPOSE: To quantify the number of optometrists at academic medical centers, along with faculty rank and postdoctoral training programs.

METHODS: The official websites of academic medical centers and schools of medicine in the United States were examined during the 2021-22 academic year to identify departments of ophthalmology and collect faculty profiles of employed optometrists. Institutional data was cross-referenced and analyzed by geographic distribution. Data was gathered from the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and Accreditation Council on Optometry Education to identify post-graduate training programs in optometry.

RESULTS: 192 academic medical centers were identified, of which 121 (63.02%) had a residency or fellowship program in ophthalmology and/or optometry. 125 (65.10%) of these institutions had at least one staff optometrist. 718 optometrists were found at these institutions, representing 1.83% of the 39,205 practicing optometrists estimated in the United States. Of the 718 optometrists, 369 (51.39%) held an academic appointment at a medical school. The most common academic rank was Assistant Professor (184; 25.63%), followed by Instructor (138; 19.22%), Associate Professor (34; 4.74%), and Full Professor (13; 1.81%). The distribution of academic rank was similar across all regions, but varied between institutions as to whether all, some, or none of the optometric faculty were appointed by a medical school. Of 296 optometry residency programs in the United States, 21 (7.09%) were at an academic medical center. Of 15 optometric fellowship programs in the United States, 3 (20%) were at an academic medical center. Of the 192 institutions in this study, 22 (11.46%) had a post-doctoral optometric training program.

CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the distribution of academic rank and postdoctoral training programs for optometrists at academic medical centers.