Jun 30, 2014 10:15 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

The University of Washington has partnered with the medical device manufacturer Physio-Control to launch the school's first fellowship program to train Emergency Medical Services (EMS) medical directors, school officials announced.

The new UW Fellowship was established to provide physicians graduating from residency opportunities to receive formal fellowship experience prior to assuming EMS medical director roles. The recipient of the EMS fellowship will take part in up to two years of training at local sites including Harborview Medical Center, King County Medic One, the Seattle Fire Department, UW Paramedic Training, Airlift Northwest and Physio-Control.

"We are aiming to build the best EMS medical director training program in the country," Dr. Michael Sayre, professor of medicine and associate medical director for the Seattle Fire Department, said in a statement. "This partnership between industry and academia offers a unique opportunity to train the next leaders in resuscitation research and cardiac arrest management."

Funding for the fellowship comes from a multi-year gift from Physio-Control, manufacturer of medical devices that predict or intervene in life-threatening emergencies. The company has pioneered lifesaving technologies since its founding in Seattle in 1955 and is headquartered and maintains primary manufacturing facilities in Redmond, Washington. In addition to funding the first UW EMS Fellowship, the company has committed to additional funding to expand the program in 2015.

"It is a privilege to launch this vital new UW EMS Fellowship," said Brian Webster, Physio-Control President and CEO.

The Seattle/King County area has a rich and important history in the area of cardiac resuscitation. The region has among the world's highest survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest - in 2013 a 62 percent survival rate to hospital discharge for patients with a witnessed collapse who were in a shockable rhythm when EMS arrived.

Fellowship leaders cite the existence of major geographic disparities in long-term survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest as a primary indicator of the important role EMS medical directors play in impacting the quality of care delivered to patients.

Susan Stern, head of the University of Washington Division of Emergency Medicine, said the fellowship will provide trainees with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead and develop similar programs across the country.

"The partnership with and proximity to Physio-Control [Redmond, WA] will provide an opportunity for the fellows to explore and experience the many benefits of a productive collaboration between academia and industry," she said.

The inaugural recipient of the UW EMS Fellowship will begin work on July 1, 2014.

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