UW Medicine

What UW Medicine does

UW Medicine Department of Surgery is the surgical arm of the University of Washington School of Medicine, a public state university entity, operating as an academic medical center with a tripartite mission of patient care, research, and education. The department provides surgical services across nine clinical sites in the Seattle metropolitan area — including Harborview Medical Center (the only Level I trauma center in the Pacific Northwest), UW Medical Center-Montlake, UW Medical Center-Northwest, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle Children's Hospital, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Eastside Specialty Center, and primary care clinics — handling 136,786 annual patient encounters across specialties that include transplant, trauma, cardiothoracic, vascular, pediatric, plastic, and general surgery, with subspecialty capabilities such as an ECMO program with regional transport and off-site cannulation.

The department's technology footprint includes early adoption of Proprio's Paradigm AI surgical navigation platform for spine surgery (FDA 510(k)-cleared in 2025), robotic surgery Centers of Excellence accreditation at two campuses, advanced minimally invasive techniques, and a research portfolio spanning ten focus areas including gastrointestinal physiology, transplantation, injury/burn/inflammation, cancer, reperfusion, simulation/education, vascular biology, device trials, and health services. Education and training programs — including categorical, integrated, and preliminary residencies plus numerous ACGME-accredited fellowships — operate across the five-state WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) via 22 clerkship sites, supported by funded visiting student internships and a diversity pipeline program.

Revenue is generated primarily through patient care services (surgical procedures, professional billing, hospital facility fees) across the nine-site network, supplemented by NIH and foundation research grants (e.g., NIH StARR R38, Fibrolamellar $400K, Donaghue Greater Value Portfolio) and educational appropriations from the public university system. The department markets through academic channels — the uwsurgery.org website, quarterly Surgery Synopsis newsletter, professional conferences, LinkedIn, and structured medical education programs — with patient acquisition driven by physician referrals, emergency services, and regional transfers to the Level I trauma center. As part of a public state university, there is no private equity, venture capital, or external shareholder exposure; all operating activity occurs under the governance of the UW School of Medicine.

Name

UW Medicine

Legal name

UW Medicine (University of Washington Medicine)

Website

https://uwsurgery.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1861

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

UW Medicine Department of Surgery is the surgical division of the University of Washington School of Medicine, providing complex surgical care, research, and physician training across nine Seattle-area clinical sites including the Pacific Northwest's only Level I trauma center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Patient Care Services: UW Medicine Department of Surgery generates revenue through providing surgical care services across multiple specialties including transplant, trauma, cardiothoracic, vascular, pediatric, and general surgery. Revenue is derived from surgical procedures, consultations, and ongoing patient care across nine clinical sites.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UW Medicine Department of Surgery is an academic surgical department delivering comprehensive clinical surgical care across multiple specialties (transplant, trauma, cardiothoracic, vascular, pediatric, plastic, and general surgery) through nine clinical sites. It also trains future surgeons via residency and fellowship programs and conducts basic, translational, outcomes, and clinical research across ten focus areas. Revenue is driven by patient care services and supported by research grants.

Product overview

UW Medicine Department of Surgery is a healthcare and academic medical institution offering clinical surgical services, medical education programs, and research. The department operates as a multi-site healthcare system across Seattle and the WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho). Clinical services include ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation), transplant surgery, trauma surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery, and various surgical subspecialties. Educational offerings include surgical residency programs (Categorical, Integrated, Preliminary), fellowship programs across multiple subspecialties, medical student clerkships, and visiting student internships. Research programs span gastrointestinal physiology, transplantation, injury/burn/inflammation, cancer, simulation/education, vascular biology, and health services. The department publishes the Surgery Synopsis newsletter seasonally and maintains active research collaborations with partner institutions including Duke Health, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, and Seattle Children's Hospital.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Department of Surgery: One of the premier surgical departments at UW Medicine, focusing on patient care, education, and research

Products and services

• UW Medicine ECMO Program Clinical service providing life support via heart-lung machine (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) for adult patients whose heart and lungs have failed or are not working properly. Includes specialized transport team capabilities for off-site cannulation across the Pacific Northwest.
• ECMO Transport Team Specialized transport team consisting of ICU nurses, respiratory therapists (ECMO specialists), and clinical perfusionists working with ECMO-trained critical care doctors to provide patient transport and off-site cannulation across the Pacific Northwest region.
• Surgical Residency Programs Premier ACGME-accredited surgical training programs including Cardiothoracic Surgery (Integrated & 4/3 Programs), General Surgery (Categorical), Plastic Surgery (Integrated), Preliminary Surgery, and Vascular Surgery (Integrated) programs, for medical school graduates entering surgical training.
• Surgical Fellowship Programs Advanced fellowship training programs including Abdominal Transplant Surgery, Advanced Cardiac Surgery, Advanced GI Minimally Invasive Surgery/Foregut, Cardiothoracic Surgery (Traditional), Cardiothoracic Transplant/MCS, Colon and Rectal Surgery, Craniofacial Surgery, Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Trauma/Burn/Critical Care, and Vascular Surgery (Traditional), for surgeons pursuing subspecialty training.
• Carlos A. Pellegrini Diversity Visiting Student Internship Program Funded visiting student internship program providing opportunities for medical students from underrepresented backgrounds to experience clinical surgical training at UW, including a $3,000 stipend for housing and travel.
• Pediatric Surgery Visiting Elective Programs Visiting elective programs for medical students and surgical residents at Seattle Children's Hospital, including a $2,500 stipend for travel, housing, and meals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 136,786 patient encounters annually across nine clinical sites

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PropriocoreTechnology or Integration · 8 April 2025Seattle-based AI surgical technology company whose Paradigm platform received FDA 510(k) clearance for real-time intraoperative measurements. The platform enables 3D dynamic viewing and surgical guidance during procedures, reducing the need for surgeons to leave the operating room for imaging. Already adopted by Duke Health and UW Medicine spine centers.
• Duke HealthcoreTechnology or IntegrationMajor academic medical center that has adopted Proprio's Paradigm AI surgical guidance platform alongside UW Medicine for spine surgery applications.
• Fred Hutch Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for cancer research and surgical oncology care, including joint faculty appointments and shared research programs.
• Seattle Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the original 15 pediatric surgery training programs in the United States. Provides pediatric surgery training and serves as a key clinical site for UW Surgery residency programs. Partnered on 250th living donor kidney transplant milestone.
• Valley Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity hospital partner where UW Medicine ECMO transport team performed first off-site cannulation for a patient too unstable to transport.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Oregon Health & Science University Department of Surgery: OHSU's surgery department is a Pacific Northwest academic peer with overlapping WWAMI-region referral dynamics. Both compete for regional complex surgical cases, particularly in trauma, oncology, and transplant surgery.
• University of Michigan Department of Surgery: Large academic surgery department at a major public university medical school with comparable breadth of surgical subspecialties, residency programs, and research portfolio. Both operate as state-university-affiliated surgery departments with similar governance and reimbursement structures.
• University of Pittsburgh Department of Surgery: Pitt's surgery department is a leading academic peer with comparable transplant surgery leadership and multi-specialty surgical programs. A peer for research funding, faculty recruitment, and complex surgical case referrals.
• Duke Department of Surgery: Duke's academic surgery department is both a peer and a co-adopter of Proprio's Paradigm AI surgical guidance platform alongside UW Medicine. The two departments share technology adoption patterns and compete for top residents and research funding.
• UCSF Department of Surgery: UCSF's academic surgery department is a leading West Coast peer with comparable transplant, trauma, oncology, and general surgery programs. Both serve as regional referral destinations for complex cases and compete for research funding and faculty talent.
• Stanford Department of Surgery: Stanford's academic surgery department operating across Stanford Health Care with comparable multi-specialty surgical programs, research portfolio, and residency training. Both compete for complex referrals, NIH funding, and top surgical trainees on the West Coast.
• Vanderbilt Department of Surgery: Vanderbilt's academic surgery department at a major private research university with comparable breadth of surgical subspecialties, residency training, and research portfolio. A peer for NIH-funded surgical research and complex case referrals.

Broad incumbents

• Mayo Clinic Department of Surgery: Mayo Clinic's surgery department operates at the highest tier of academic surgical practice nationally. A peer for complex case mix, research, and training, though Mayo's multi-site integrated model differs structurally from UW's public-university governance.
• Johns Hopkins Department of Surgery: One of the most prestigious academic surgery departments in the U.S., operating within Johns Hopkins Medicine. A peer at the top tier of academic surgical research, training, and complex case referral, though its East Coast location reduces direct patient competition.
• Mass General Brigham Department of Surgery: Harvard-affiliated academic surgery program within a leading integrated health system. A peer at the top tier of complex surgical care, research output, and surgical training, with comparable breadth across subspecialties.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UWDeptSurgery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uw-department-of-surgery
• Xx.com/uwsurgery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UW Medicine