Applications Open for the 2025-26 Jack Stout EMS Fellowship

CARLSBAD, CA—The Jack Stout EMS Fellowship, endowed by FirstWatch, is accepting applications now through March 15, 2025. Now in its fourth year, the Fellowship is open to emerging EMS leaders interested in acquiring the knowledge and skills to lead EMS systems now and in the future.

The Fellowship was developed by FirstWatch in cooperation with the Fitch EMS Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by Fitch & Associates in 2021 in honor of Jay Fitch, PhD. Its mission is to build on the firm’s core value of leadership development by providing access to educational opportunities through scholarships to aspiring leaders. Celebrating its 27th year, FirstWatch helps public safety and healthcare professionals better serve their communities through technology, data and the science of quality improvement.

The Fellowship is named for the late Jack Stout, often called the father of high-performance EMS systems. The curriculum will be based on fundamental principles espoused by Stout:

• How to be a people-centered leader. Someone who effectively puts patients, their caregivers, and the people who support them, at the center of their daily decisions, budget and overall organizational strategy.
• What and how it means to be data driven. Understanding how to request data, analyze the results, and make decisions using all kinds of system data.
• The elements of improvement science. Using a structured process to drive improvements in everything from clinical care and employee joy to fiscal health and fleet reliability.
• How to use systems thinking. Making better decisions moment by moment and engaging in more effective strategic planning requires a view of the big picture.

The current recipient is Mary E. Meeks, EMS District Chief for Chatham Emergency Services (CES), headquartered in Savannah, Georgia.

“The Jack Stout Fellowship has been the most transformative experience in my professional life,” Meeks said. “I would encourage anyone interested to apply. It takes some time, sure, but it’s incredibly beneficial to think about who you are as a person, your career, and what you value.”  

The selected Jack Stout EMS Fellow will attend the 2025 Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum, held this year July 14 – 18, 2025, at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort, Phoenix, Ariz. He or she will also attend either the Fitch Ambulance Service Manager (ASM) program or the Communication Center Manager (CCM) program with all registration and travel expenses covered by FirstWatch.

Applications for the 2025-2026 Fellowship will be accepted through March 15, 2025. For more information about the fellowship, visit fitchemsfoundation.org.