Benchmarking Health Research Productivity in Zambia: A Case Study of School of Medicine at the University of Zambia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Research productivity and impact are essential indicators of institutional performance; however, the University of Zambia (UNZA) School of Medicine lacks a systematic bibliometric appraisal. Benchmarking faculty-level output and impact provides evidence to guide strategic investments, faculty development, and resource allocation. OBJECTIVE: To investigate and analyse research productivity and impact among faculty members of the UNZA School of Medicine and determine whether these matrices differ between basic science and clinical departments. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective bibliometric study of the academic staff listed on the 2025 UNZA School of Medicine roster with publications indexed in Google Scholar. For each faculty member, we extracted publication counts, citations, H-index, mean citations per paper, and covariates (department and sex). Data were de identified. Descriptive statistics (medians, IQRs, and time-series plots) were used to characterise productivity and impact trends. Group comparisons between clinical and basic sciences were performed using the Mann–Whitney U test for continuous variables and categorical variables. Multivariable regression analysis identified independent predictors of productivity and impact after adjusting for academic position and department. RESULTS: Among 80 faculty members (65% clinical, 35% basic sciences), there were 2,185 publications since 1998, with a median of 12 papers per lecturer (IQR 4–38). Scholarly impact was reflected in a median of 173 citations (IQR 38–382) and an H index of 4.5 (IQR 2–11). Regression analyses showed that affiliation with the clinical sciences department was associated with greater publication output (β = 22.2, p = 0.03), independent of academic position, although citation counts did not differ significantly by department. Citation trends demonstrated a sharp rise after 2015, approaching 4,000 by 2025. Professors consistently held the highest average citations until 2023, when lecturers surpassed them. CONCLUSION: Research productivity and impact at UNZA, School of Medicine have risen sharply since 2015, with clinical sciences affiliation associated with higher publication output and growing citation visibility across ranks, underscoring the expanding institutional research strength.