Different
Medical Subfields,
Different Impact Rates
(Subfields ranked by average cites per paper, 1981-97)
| Rank |
Institution |
Impact
1981-97 |
| 1 |
Oncology |
17.79 |
| 2 |
Endocrinology,
Metabolism & Nutrition |
17.01 |
| 3 |
Hematology |
14.83 |
| 4 |
Clinical
Psychology & Psychiatry |
13.49 |
| 5 |
Cardiology |
11.48 |
| 6 |
Neurology |
11.43 |
| 7 |
Clinical
Immunology & Infectious Disease |
11.19 |
| 8 |
Gastroenterology
& Hepatology |
11.07 |
| 9 |
Rheumatology |
10.59 |
| 10 |
General
& Internal Medicine |
10.32 |
| 11 |
Radiology,
Nuclear Medicine & Imaging |
8.91 |
| 12 |
Reproductive
Medicine |
8.01 |
| 13 |
Pharmacoloy/Toxicology |
8.00 |
| 14 |
Urology
& Nephrology |
7.82 |
| 15 |
Anesthesia
& Intensive Care |
7.74 |
| 16 |
Surgery |
7.15 |
| 17 |
Dermatology |
7.10 |
| 18 |
Pediatrics |
6.71 |
| 19 |
Public
Health & Health Care Science |
5.93 |
| 20 |
Ophthalmology |
5.87 |
| 21 |
Otoloaryngology |
4.61 |
| 22 |
Orthopedics,
Rehabilitation & Sports |
3.23 |
|
 he four subfields (below)
were selected because they were the most heavily represented among the top 50 most-cited
researchers on the list. It is worth noting, however, that some subfields within clinical
medicine simply tend to attract more citations than others do. The table to the left shows
the citations-per-paper (impact) rate for 22 subfields in clinical medicine, based on
papers published and cited between 1981 and 1997 (therefore, a blended average). The table
demonstrates, for example, that the average oncology paper receives more than five times
as many cites as a paper in the subfield of orthopedics, rehabilitation, and sports
medicine.
These rankings represent Science
Watch’s attempt to identify the highly influential clinician researchers of the
last two decades. Some of the names are familiar to these pages: Thomas E. Starzl, for
example, whose name tops the ranking on the previous
page, was also featured among the most-cited biomedical researchers of the 1990s (see Science
Watch, 9[3]:1-2, May/June 1998). Walter C. Willett (#7) and Anthony S. Fauci (#9) discussed their work in
Science Watch Interviews.
Space limitations prevent mention of
the many highly cited researchers who just missed the main ranking on the previous page and who happen to specialize in areas
outside the four subfields below. To name just a few: the late neurologist C. David
Marsden of the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London (13,240
citations); rheumatologist James F. Fries of Stanford (12,162); radiology specialist
Charles B. Higgins of the University of California, San Francisco (12,134); and
pharmacologist Michael E. Phelps of UCLA (11,184).
Most-Cited Researchers in
Clinical Medicine: Four Subfields
Surgery/Transplantation
| Oncology | Cardiology | Epidemiology
| Rank |
Name |
Institution |
Citations |
| 1 |
Thomas
E. Starzl |
University
of Pittsburgh |
26,456 |
| 2 |
E.
Donnall Thomas |
F.
Hutchinson Cancer Ctr |
19,781 |
| 3 |
Shunzabora
Iwatsuki |
University
of Pittsburgh |
10,496 |
| 4 |
Satoru
Todo |
University
of Pittsburgh |
10,415 |
| 5 |
David
Van Thiel |
Loyola
University Med Ctr. |
10,020 |
| 6 |
Richard
L. Simmons |
University
of Pittsburgh |
9,369 |
| 7 |
H.
Joachim Deeg |
University
of Washington |
9,149 |
| 8 |
John
S. Najarian |
University
of Minnesota |
9,078 |
| 9 |
David
E.R. Sutherland |
University
of Minnesota |
9,049 |
10
 |
Byers
W. Shaw |
University
of Nebraska |
7,253 |
|
| Rank |
Name |
Institution |
Citations |
| 1 |
Steven
A. Rosenberg |
National
Cancer Institute |
22,734 |
| 2 |
Rainer
Storb |
F.
Hutchinson Cancer Ctr. |
17,560 |
| 3 |
C.
Dean Buckner |
Response
Oncology, Inc. |
13,984 |
| 4 |
Frederick
R. Appelbaum |
F.
Hutchinson Cancer Ctr. |
12,262 |
| 5 |
David
Y. Mason |
U.
Oxford/J. Radcliffe Hospital |
12,233 |
| 6 |
Robert
P. Gale |
Salick
Health Care, Inc. |
12,232 |
| 7 |
Jerome
E. Groopman |
Harvard
University |
12,123 |
| 8 |
Daniel
Catovsky |
Inst.
Cancer Research |
11,045 |
| 9 |
Elaine
S. Jaffe |
National
Cancer Institute |
10,688 |
10
|
Michael
T. Lotze |
University
of Pittsburgh |
10,413 |
|
| Rank |
Name |
Institution |
Citations |
| 1 |
Eugene
Braunwald |
Harvard
University |
19,451 |
| 2 |
William
B. Kannel |
Boston
University |
15,727 |
| 3 |
Eric
J. Topol |
Cleveland
Clinic Fdn. |
14,917 |
| 4 |
John
H. Laragh |
Cornell
Med. Ctr. |
13,539 |
| 5 |
Valentin
Fuster |
Mt.
Sinai Med. Ctr. |
13,376 |
| 6 |
Patrick
W. Serruys |
Erasmus
University |
12,529 |
| 7 |
Robert
M. Califf |
Duke
University |
12,373 |
| 8 |
David
R. Holmes |
Mayo
Clinic |
12,268 |
| 9 |
Peter
J. Barne |
Imperial
College |
11,768 |
10
|
Stephen
E. Epsteins |
Natl.
Heart Lung Blood Inst. |
11,103 |
|
| Rank |
Name |
Institution |
Citations |
| 1 |
Meir
J. Stampfer |
Harvard
University |
20,225 |
| 2 |
Charles
H. Hennekens |
Harvard
University |
19,645 |
| 3 |
Walter
C. Willett |
Harvard
University |
19,281 |
| 4 |
Frank
E. Speizer |
Harvard
University |
15,480 |
| 5 |
Graham
A. Colditz |
Harvard
University |
14,296 |
| 6 |
Bernard
Rosner |
Harvard
University |
13,931 |
| 7 |
L.
Joseph Melton |
Mayo
Clinic |
10,186 |
| 8 |
Joseph
F. Fraumeni |
National
Cancer Institute |
10,090 |
| 9 |
William
P. Castelli |
Harvard
University |
6,608 |
10
|
Richard
Peto |
University
of Oxford |
9,406 |
|
|
.
