This study evaluates the comprehensiveness of Neuro-Oncology fellowship webpages and their associated Graduate Medical Education (GME) websites based on criteria desired by applicants. It seeks to identify areas of fellowship webpage improvement.

Fellowship program webpages have become a major source of information for potential applicants, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies have shown that websites for various residency and fellowship programs, like Neurology and Vascular Neurology, often lack key information important to applicants. An evaluation of Neuro-Oncology fellowship sites has not yet been reported.

A list of Adult Neuro-Oncology fellowship programs in the United States was obtained from the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS) and the Society for NeuroOncology (SNO) fellowship directories. Programs were analyzed based on 39 criteria grouped into six categories: Application Process, Academic Information, Contact Information, Program Information, Benefits, and Fellowship Life. Websites were assessed by author L.H. on two independent occasions between February and March 2024. Programs were categorized by Geographic Region based on the AAMC Geographic Preferences Map and by Program Type (e.g, university-based) according to their Neurology residency program designation on FREIDA. Analyses were performed using descriptive statistics.

A total of 34 fellowship programs were evaluated. Seventeen programs (50%) were accessible via a direct link on the UCNS fellowship directory webpage. The total criteria met by each fellowship varied from 20%-80%, with an average comprehensiveness of 56.76% across all programs. Community-based university-affiliated programs averaged 58.8% comprehensiveness compared to 53.7% for University-based programs. Average comprehensiveness between geographic regions varied from 40-70%, with the largest group, South Atlantic, averaging 46.8%.