Changing Compensation Trends in Academic Acute Care and Trauma Surgery

Background Faculty compensation compression has been described across academia in the setting of changing economic conditions and market compensation. We examined trends in compensation differences between academic ranks among trauma and acute care surgeons in the northeastern United States. Methods We analyzed the American Association of Medical Colleges Faculty Salary Report from 2014-2023 to evaluate compensation trends among academic trauma and acute care surgeons in the Northeast. Compensation was adjusted to 2023 U.S. dollars using the Consumer Price Index. Compensation gaps between academic ranks were calculated, and temporal trends were evaluated using descriptive linear regression. Results Median total compensation increased across all academic ranks from 2014-2023. The median compensation gap between Associate Professors and Professors narrowed from $61,446 in 2014 to −$208 in 2023, reflecting nearly identical compensation between the two ranks. Descriptive linear regression demonstrated an annual decrease of $9825 in the Associate Professor-Professor median compensation gap (95% CI, −$15,534 to −$4116; R 2 = 0.66; P < 0.01). Similar directional narrowing was observed across the 25th, median, and 75th percentile estimates, while other rank gaps demonstrated less pronounced temporal changes. Conclusion Compensation patterns among academic trauma and acute care surgeons demonstrated substantial narrowing between Associate Professor and Professor compensation from 2014-2023. By 2023, reported median compensation between these ranks was nearly identical. These findings provide descriptive evidence of changing rank-based compensation patterns and warrant further investigation using individual-level and institution-specific data to identify factors contributing to these trends and their potential implications for academic trauma and acute care surgeons.