Our Channels & Audiences
Yale School of Medicine (YSM) is a world-class academic medical institution that advances scientific discovery, trains future leaders in medicine and science, and provides outstanding clinical care while advancing the health of the community. YSM provides clinical support through its faculty practice plan, Yale Medicine (YM), where expert, research-informed care is delivered with compassion and clarity to patients and their families.
While YSM and YM share values and institutional identity, their communications differ in purpose, tone, and emphasis. This page outlines how channels and audiences vary between YSM and YM, and provides guidance on choosing the right approach for each.
medicine.yale.edu serves as the academic and research-focused website of Yale School of Medicine, providing news, research and clinical highlights, educational resources, and institutional information to current and prospective faculty, students, researchers, trainees, donors, clinicians, industry partners, media, and the science-curious public.
yalemedicine.org is the patient-facing clinical website for Yale Medicine, offering information about physicians, specialties, and services to help current and prospective patients navigate care and connect with providers.
| YSM | YM | |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | The YSM audiences have highly differentiated backgrounds and interests, including: • Researchers, including prospective faculty members • Clinicians interested in collaboration • Current and prospective students • Current and prospective donors • Potential industry partners • Reporters and media • Science-curious public | The Yale Medicine audience is broad and may include almost everyone, with a focus on: • Potential patients, patients’ families, and caregivers • Current patients, patients’ families, and caregivers • Science-curious public seeking medical information • Healthcare professionals looking to refer patients • Development Office and members of the media |
| Audience goals | • Explore new research and understand its broader impact • Follow their curiosity • Determine whether YSM is a place to work or learn • Explore YSM as a collaborative partner • Understand how to engage with and support YSM | • Understand and participate in their care • Quickly find information on their preferred device • Find the right care, in the right location, and make an appointment • Prepare for upcoming medical visits |
| Institutional goals | • Elevate the reputation of YSM • Convey how we are advancing scientific understanding • Show how advances benefit people, science, and society • Demonstrate how academic and clinical enterprises reinforce each other • Attract top faculty, students, and trainees | • Attract new patients by positioning Yale Medicine specialists as leading experts • Elevate the brand and reputation of Yale Medicine • Facilitate online appointment scheduling • Improve the patient experience through best-in-class digital service • Retain patients and improve outcomes through communication and outreach |
How does YSM and YM content differ?
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For Yale School of Medicine (YSM), our voice must reflect intellectual leadership, scientific rigor, and forward-thinking insight. It invites curiosity while reinforcing YSM’s role in driving meaningful advances in medicine and health. The academic and research-focused website provides news, research and clinical highlights, educational resources, and institutional information to current and prospective faculty, students, researchers, trainees, donors, clinicians, industry partners, media, and the science-curious public.
For Yale Medicine (YM), our voice must also center on empathy, clarity, and support—offering understandable, actionable information that helps people make informed decisions about their health, while also showcasing our clinical expertise.
Below are some highlighted differences in YSM and YM communications:
| Yale School of Medicine (YSM) | Yale Medicine (YM) | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand Role | Academic institution: research, education, discovery, clinical excellence | Clinical practice: sub-specialty patient care, clinical innovation, and access to cutting-edge research |
| Primary Audiences | Current and prospective researchers, students, donors, media, science-curious public | Patients, families, caregivers, referring clinicians, media, science-curious public |
| Core Purpose | Advance medical/scientific understanding; train future leaders | Provide compassionate, expert, research-informed care |
| Voice | Scientifically accurate yet accessible; forward-thinking | Plainspoken, human, clear; supportive of anxious or overwhelmed readers, informative |
| Tone | Authoritative, confident, intellectually engaging | Warm, compassionate, reassuring, personal |
| Reading Level | Crisp, clean, moderately complex, target reading level grade 12 | Short, direct, easy to scan, target reading level grade 8 |
| Use of Jargon | Minimize where possible, explain if used; assume intellectual curiosity | Avoid jargon; prioritize plain English |
| Human Element | Humanizes faculty and students as part of institutional leadership; uses storytelling for personal connection with scientists | Centers people—patients, families, clinicians—as part of the care journey |
| Call to Action | Engage with research, education, philanthropy, or institutional/clinical partnerships | Understand care options, find a doctor, schedule an appointment, access expertise |
| Emphasis on Impact | Emphasizes scientific progress, including incremental findings for basic science as well as breakthroughs and illustrating societal benefit | Emphasizes improved outcomes and personalized patient care |