Surgical paradox: Pen vs scalpel-an opinion review on reforming academic promotion

Table 1 Operational metrics for a multidimensional surgical promotion framework

Domain	Proposed operational metrics
Clinical excellence	Case volume (weighted relative value units), surgical complexity scores, and patient safety/outcome registries
Educational impact	Peer-reviewed teaching portfolios, intraoperative teaching evaluations, and curriculum development
Mentorship	Tracking mentee academic appointments, grant success, and first-author publications
Research impact	Validated scientometric indicators (h-index, impact factor) for high-quality, primary clinical data
Institutional citizenship	“Minority tax” offset: Formal credit for committee work, DEI initiatives, and community engagement

DEI: Diversity, equity, and inclusion.