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Frequently Asked Questions for YSM Websites

  • Getting Started

    I want to build a new website for my department, center, or program. Where do I start?
    • Start with the YSM Office of Communications. All official YSM websites and web presences are managed by the Office of Communications using YSM's authorized web template and content management systems. This includes any digital tool that solicits or collects personal health information from patients or potential Yale Medicine patient candidates.
    • Before you publish anything, read the Online Publishing Policy. It covers patient privacy, name and image rights, copyright, branding, data security, accessibility, political and personal opinion, and removal of content. Then read the Website Guidelines & Best Practices.
    • These rules apply wherever the site lives. Both documents cover websites, web presences, and digital content created by or for YSM, whether hosted on University-maintained systems or on external platforms such as Beatrix, Wix.com, YaleSites, Drupal, or Squarespace.
    • Submit a helpdesk ticket to get started.

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, Scope and Management of YSM Websites and Web Presences; Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Scope and Section 1.

    Can our site collect health information from patients or potential patients?
    • Only through a tool managed or approved by the HIPAA office, and the YSM Office of Communications. Digital tools that solicit or collect personal health information from Yale patients or potential Yale patients must be official Yale Medicine sites or, in limited circumstances, under a Yale contract with Yale Procurement and approved by Yale IRB.
    • YSM web publishing platforms are not approved for disclosing or otherwise sharing Protected Health Information (PHI).
    • Externally hosted sites and tools are not allowed to request PHI from Yale patients. Collecting health information in a way that appears to occur under the auspices of YSM may give rise to violations of University rules and regulations.
    • Contact the HIPAA office at hipaa@yale.edu with questions about whether something is PHI. When in doubt, do not collect PHI without confirmation.

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, Scope, Definitions, and Patient Privacy, HIPAA, and Other Privacy Risks; Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Definitions.

    What content standards does our site have to meet?
    • Content should be written in a professional voice, not a personal voice. Consult the AP Style Guide and the YSM Style Guide.
    • All content and multimedia should represent YSM in a positive, professional, relevant manner. No content that is negative, derogatory, discriminatory, or inappropriate should be posted.
    • Content should accurately tell the story of the department, section, residents, center, faculty, and students. Videos, graphics, and illustrations demonstrating scientific or medical processes must be accurate and up to date, and must represent current science and medical care unless illustrating a historical point.
    • Content should be well written and free of spelling and grammatical mistakes. Photographs and videos should be high resolution, in focus, well lit for the subject matter, and professionally processed, including for color correction.
    • Images and videos more than five years old often have deteriorated in quality, are not high enough resolution to display correctly, and may be removed.

    Reference: Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Section 5, YSM Multimedia and Content.

  • External personal, lab, and business websites

    I am building a lab, personal, or business website outside Yale. What do I need to do?
    • Keep the site distinct from University and YSM websites. You may describe your current Yale affiliation in a biographical narrative.
    • Do not use Yale resources to build or run the site. This includes images, logos, wordmarks, photographs, letterhead, staff time, funding, technology, or other resources. Building a website external to the YSM web system duplicates costs that are covered by central funds, including a web editing team and web hosting and data systems. Building an external website is allowed in limited circumstances where a website function cannot be accommodated by YSM web systems.
    • If the site mentions or implies a Yale connection, state in the bio that your opinions are your own and not the school's, and/or that the business is unaffiliated with Yale.
    • If you have an existing YSM lab site and then build an external lab site, the Office of Communications will archive the YSM site to avoid confusion and duplication.

    Reference: Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Section 3; Yale University Institutional Standards of Conduct; Information Concerning Activism and Advocacy.

    What specifically is an externally hosted site not allowed to do?
    • Unless the activity is specifically authorized by YSM for the conduct of School functions, an externally hosted website or web presence may not:
      • Represent an official YSM department or section. Departments and sections must be built in the YSM web system.
      • Solicit patients or potential patient candidates for Yale Medicine.
      • Use any Yale University or YSM logo, shield, or any other University mark or branding in any capacity.
      • Use the word "Yale" in the website URL or website title.
      • Use University funds, resources, or facilities to build, support, or maintain the site, presence, or content. This includes grant funding that has been disbursed through the university.
      • Reproduce YSM-produced or YSM-branded photographs, videos, or media assets.
      • Suggest or imply in any way that it is an officially sanctioned University activity.
      • Conduct or appear to conduct business on behalf of Yale University or YSM, including by using YSM office phone numbers, addresses, or other office identifiers.
      • Publish identifiable information about Yale patients.
    • Building a website external to the YSM web system duplicates costs that are covered by central funds, including a web editing team and web hosting and data systems. Building an external website is allowed in limited circumstances where a website function cannot be accommodated by YSM web systems.

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, Other Privacy Risks Related to Digital Collection of Personal Health Information, 1304 Distinguishing Between Gifts and Sponsored Awards (Grants and Contracts

  • Patients and clinical content

    Can I take photos or video in a clinic, an operating room, or another patient care area?
    • Not for website, social media, marketing, or public relations purposes. Individual employees may not take photographs or video in YM or YNHH patient care areas, including operating rooms, for those purposes.
    • Only the central YNHHS, Yale University, and YM communications teams are permitted to obtain or post images within areas where patient care occurs, or of patients, even de-identified, for those promotional purposes. The patient must sign Form 5031 in advance, and copies of the signed form should be filed with the central YSM Office of Communications, Yale's Office of Public Affairs and Communications, or YNHH marketing.
    • Internal recording for medical, education, or research purposes is handled separately. Follow the YNHH Audiovisual Recordings Policy in YNHH spaces and the Yale HIPAA Guidance on Photos, Video and Audio Recording in Yale University spaces.

    Reference: Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Section 4, Public Use and Internal Use.

    We already have images from a procedure. Can we post them on social media?
    • Only if the patient or their representative has signed Form 5031.
    • The Yale New Haven Health Consent for Operation or Special Procedure allows de-identified images to be used for medical, scientific, or educational purposes only. It does not permit social media or other public use.
    • Once Form 5031 is signed by the patient, the images may be considered for the YM, YNHH, or Yale University social media channels.
    • Individual employees must not gather or post content about patients, de-identified or otherwise, to individual or personal social media or websites. Resharing content from institutional accounts to personal accounts is allowed.

    Reference: Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Section 4, Repurposing Clinical Images for External Use, and Summary.

    Can we publish a patient story, testimonial, or photo on our site?
    • Only on the Yale Medicine website or Yale Medicine official social media accounts. Prior written authorization from the patient is required, obtained through Form 5031.
    • The form should be used even if the patient is not fully visible or identifiable.
    • The form authorizes use of patient name, contact information, interviews, photographs, and film recordings by representatives and affiliates of Yale University and Yale New Haven Health System, for Yale purposes only. It does not allow faculty or staff to post patient images or information on their personal social media accounts.
    • When in doubt about whether content is PHI, do not publish it without a signed form. Questions go to hipaa@yale.edu or the Yale HIPAA Policies, Procedures and Forms page.

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, Patient Privacy.

    Can we answer medical questions or offer health advice on our site?
    • Do not provide personal medical advice, or any information that could be construed as personal medical advice, on YSM websites or social media.
    • On University-maintained systems and externally maintained systems representing YSM, patient-focused content is hosted on Yale Medicine branded websites and digital channels. Exceptions may be granted for human research protocols with the joint agreement of Yale's Institutional Review Board and the YSM Office of Communications, in limited circumstances where a website function cannot be accommodated by YSM web systems for clinical research participants.
    • Faculty may provide expert opinion and health information to news and information outlets online when it is relevant to their area of specialized expertise, referencing their Yale affiliation, in coordination with Yale's Office of Public Affairs and the YSM Office of Communications.

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, Patient Privacy and Political Discourse; Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Sections 2 and 4.

  • Images, video, and permissions

    Do I need permission to put someone's photo or story on our website?
    • Yes. Even when data is not classified as PHI under HIPAA, individuals may have privacy or other proprietary rights in the use of their name, image, or likeness.
    • To display digital content such as multimedia, photographs, or stories on a YSM website, or on an external site created by or for YSM, the University must have permission from the people who are photographed, filmed, or in certain cases specifically quoted or referenced. The type of permission is in accordance with the person's Yale role.
    • For on-campus photography and recordings, see the 9001 Yale Recording Policy and Use of Photos and Videos Taken at YSM Events.

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, Individual Name and Image Rights.

    Can we show images of animals on our YSM website, news articles, and social media?
    • Generally, no. Images, videos, illustrations, or other graphics of animals or parts of animals, whether in the research lab or in nature, should not be on any publicly available website or social media account.
    • Research imagery that is relevant to your work and uses humans, insects, or fish is generally acceptable.
    • Handsome Dan, the Old English Bulldog and Yale mascot, is also allowed in images on YSM websites and social media.
    • See also University policy 4489 Media and Animal Research.

    Reference: Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Section 5, Animal Research; Online Publishing Policy, Data Security and References & Related Information.

    What do the guidelines say about AI-assisted images?
    • All custom images, illustrations, videos, or graphics must provide authorship, including for AI-assisted images.
    • The content standards still apply. Images that are pixelated, blurry, obviously digitally manipulated, inaccurate, or processed incorrectly must not be displayed.

    Reference: Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Section 5, Authorship and AI, and High Quality.

    Can I use a photo, illustration, video, or piece of music I found online?
    • Not until the rights are confirmed. Do not publish any content or materials without first confirming either that the University has written documentation of its publishing rights, or that an exception under applicable law applies.
    • Copyright applies more broadly than people expect. Digital content can include a written document, a person's voice or performance, music played in the background of a video, a photograph, a company's symbol or trademark, and proprietary research information.
    • See the Office of the General Counsel's Copyright Resources and Rights Clearance Guide for Digital Projects.

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, Copyright & Other Intellectual Property Rights.

  • Branding, accessibility, data, and endorsement

    Can we use the Yale shield, wordmark, or YSM logo?

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, YSM Branding and Other Privacy Risks; Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Sections 2 and 3.

    What are we required to do about accessibility?
    • All content posted to University websites is required to be accessible to people with disabilities. It is the responsibility of each organization to assure their content is accessible before submitting it to be posted online. More information is on the Yale Usability & Digital Accessibility website.
    • All websites, web presences, and digital content created by or for YSM, whether hosted on University-maintained systems or on external platforms, are required to include a link to the Accessibility Statement Page.
    • See the 1605 Web Accessibility Policy.

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, Accessibility.

    Can we post documents, datasets, or spreadsheets on our site?
    • Only low-risk data. Do not store or publish medium- or high-risk data, documents, or other types of sensitive information unless the website is explicitly identified for that purpose in YSM system documentation.
    • For data classification, see the 1604 Data Classification Policy and the Protect Your Data page.

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, Data Security; Website Guidelines & Best Practices.

    Can we feature a company we work with or a product we use?
    • YSM marks and branding may not be used to state or suggest endorsement or sponsorship of non-official functions.
    • As a nonprofit, Yale does not endorse products, and therefore does not want the Yale name on external websites and does not want company logos on Yale websites.
    • Announcements of Yale collaborations or partnerships that have already been approved by Yale's Office of General Counsel, Procurement, and/or your department chair are acceptable.
    • Use generic drug names when possible.

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, YSM Branding; Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Sections 2 and 3.

  • Domains and urls

    Can our site use a .com address, link out to one, or have a third-level domain?
    • YSM websites do not use .com urls to display YSM websites.
    • Requests to link to .com and external websites from YSM websites are reviewed by the Office of Communications on a case-by-case basis.
    • Third-level domain requests (example: [Name].yale.edu) are reviewed and approved by Office of Communications Program & Center Naming Committee, and additionally with Office of General Counsel and Office of Public Affairs when necessary. These URLs are restricted to use by YSM centers, departments, and sections; have websites on Yale servers; and are not directed to websites outside of Yale. Other organizations can submit requests for review to the YSM Web Helpdesk.
    • Externally hosted sites may not use the word "Yale" in the website URL or website title.

    Reference: Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Section 6; Online Publishing Policy, Other Privacy Risks.

  • Opinion and public statements

    Can we post a statement about a current event or a political issue?
    • University tools, resources, and publications may not be used to express political or personal opinions. As a nonprofit that provides education and patient care to the public, Yale must maintain neutrality on political views.
    • If an issue impacts the entire university community, YSM defers to university leaders to speak first.
    • YSM and its faculty should not comment on issues about which other schools harbor greater expertise.
    • Public statements on behalf of Yale are issued solely by the Yale Office of Public Affairs. YSM faculty and staff should consult the YSM Media Relations Team or the Yale Office of Public Affairs before responding to media.
    • YSM can and should use its expertise and resources to provide opportunities for our community to hold open conversations when topics are relevant to our missions of education, patient care, and research.
    • If you self-identify your Yale affiliation on an external platform and state an opinion, you should also state that the opinion is your own and not the opinion of Yale, and where applicable Yale New Haven Health System. See Information Concerning Activism and Advocacy.

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, Summary and YSM Political Discourse, Personal Opinion, and Public Statements.

  • Removal, archiving, and exceptions

    We have older pages and files we want to keep on our site. Will they be removed?
    • Yes. YSM web publishing platforms are not to be used as an archiving system for text, documents, images, or any other digital content.
    • Content, including images, that has not been edited or updated in three or more years, or where the primary contact has left Yale, may be removed.
    • Files and data must be kept in a Yale-supported storage solution if they need to be preserved in perpetuity, not on the website.
    • Separately, the YSM Office of Communications reserves the right to immediately remove any content, website, or web presence that is in conflict with the Online Publishing Policy or other Yale policies.

    Reference: Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Sections 5 and 7; Online Publishing Policy, Removal.

    Our situation does not fit these rules. Can we get an exception?

    Reference: Online Publishing Policy, Special Situations & Exceptions; Website Guidelines & Best Practices, Special Situations & Exceptions.