About

HMS Mission and Values

Welcome to Harvard Medical School
A vibrant community is shaping the future of education and biomedicine

Harvard Medical School

Mission

To nurture a diverse, inclusive community dedicated to alleviating suffering and improving health and well-being for all through excellence in teaching and learning, discovery and scholarship, and service and leadership.

Community Values

Harvard Medical School is a community dedicated to excellence and leadership in medicine through education, research and clinical care.

We aspire to excellence through a commitment to our community values.

Collaboration & Service

  • We work together to serve our HMS, neighboring, national and global communities.
  • We acknowledge that our behavior affects the experiences of others and act in ways that are kind and respectful to all.

Diversity & Respect

  • We value and respect all individuals for their unique perspectives, experiences and potential to contribute.
  • We foster a culture of inclusion and engagement and communicate respectfully.
  • We seek diversity and promote equity and social justice.

Integrity & Accountability

  • We conduct our work honestly and ethically.
  • We lead responsibly, hold ourselves accountable and empathetically share constructive feedback.
  • We speak up and empower others to do the same.

Lifelong Learning

  • We promote an environment of learning and discovery.
  • We embrace innovation and understand that creative solutions often require taking risks.
  • We strive for excellence through ongoing professional and personal improvement.

Wellness & Balance

  • We value the well-being of every member of the community.
  • We encourage and support healthy and productive lifestyles recognizing they require the integration of work and life.

We are Harvard Medicine.

Diversity Statement

Harvard Medical School is committed to convening and nurturing a diverse community of individuals dedicated to promoting excellence and leadership in medicine and science through education, research, clinical care and service. Our unique perspectives, talents, experiences and contributions as HMS students, trainees, faculty, staff and administrators are the foundation and drivers of our excellence.

We acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of our history and actively promote social justice, challenge discrimination, and address disparities and inequities.

We celebrate the multiple dimensions of diversity that each member of our community offers, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic circumstance, national origin, geographic background, immigration status, disability, physical characteristics, veteran status, political ideology, religious belief and age.

We provide a safe environment where all members of our community can engage in dialogue, question, learn and contribute to their fullest potential.

We respect the dignity of all members of our community and aspire to ensure that all feel valued and supported.

We provide education and training that emphasize respect for differences in culture, language and life experience and that address both health disparities and the role that implicit and explicit bias can play in decision making.

We advance diversity and inclusion in recruitment, hiring, retention and promotion.

We prioritize diversity and inclusion as we develop HMS policies, practices and procedures.

We support community engagement and partner with our local, national and global communities to advance the diversity pipeline and eliminate health disparities.

We continuously monitor our diversity and inclusion efforts to ensure that the outcomes bring HMS closer to reflecting the diversity found in our patients, community and nation.

We each belong to the HMS community.

We are Harvard Medicine.