Since the School was established in 1782, faculty members have improved human health by innovating in their roles as physicians, mentors and scholars. Theyve piloted educational models, developed new curricula to address emerging needs in health care, and produced thousands of leaders and compassionate caregivers who are shaping the fields of science and medicine throughout the world with their expertise and passion.
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.
Established in 1782, Harvard Medical School began with a handful of students and a faculty of three. The first classes were held in Harvard Hall in Cambridge, long before the Schools iconic quadrangle was built in Boston. With each passing decade, the Schools faculty and trainees amassed knowledge and influence, shaping medicine in the United States and beyond. Some community membersand their accomplishmentshave assumed the status of legend. We invite you to access the following resources to explore Harvard Medical Schools rich history.
Members of the Harvard Medical School community have been expanding the boundaries of knowledge for more than 200 years. The following entries represent just a sampling of their progress, including accomplishments made by faculty members at the Schools affiliated hospitals and research institutes.
The Harvard Medical School community is dedicated to excellence and leadership in medicine, education, research and clinical care. To achieve our highest aspirations, and to ensure the success of all members of our community, we value and promote common ideals that center on collaboration and service, diversity, respect, integrity and accountability, lifelong learning, and wellness and balance. To be a citizen of this community means embracing a collegial spirit that fosters inclusion and promotes achievement. Read about the HMS Community Values.
For generations, HMS has fostered a culture that has excelled in medical education, clinical care, and biomedical research by adhering to core commitments. Ours is an institution dedicated to innovation in education, to scientific discovery and integrity, to diversity and professional development, and to service to humanity.
Since 1906, the HMS campus has formed the nucleus of the Longwood Medical Area, located in the historic Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston. Surrounded by several of its world-renowned affiliated hospitals and research institutions, the iconic HMS Quadrangle is home to the School and its 10 basic and social science departments. A center of teaching, research and learning for nearly 12,000 faculty and more than 11,000 students, residents and postdoctoral fellows, HMS is located on a campus separate from the main Harvard University complex across the Charles River in Cambridge.
Harvard Medical School strivesto cultivate an environment that promotes inclusiveness and collaboration among students, faculty and staff and to create new avenues for discussion that will advance our shared mission to improve the health of people throughout the world.
The HMS Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion has released its final report, which highlights four key themes: develop people and infrastructure, build community and belonging, address culture and communication, and hold accountable and generate knowledge. Within each theme, the Task Force summarized what is working, noted areas for improvement and made recommendations.
This work serves as a springboard for an ambitious, long-term effort entitled Better Together. The goal of this effort is to implement the Task Forces recommendations, with the priority of establishing HMS as the institution of preference for diverse candidates. As such, we strive to increase representation of historically marginalized individualsthose underrepresented in medicine (URM), those with disabilities, those who identify as LGBTQand womenat all academic levels, particularly senior faculty and department administrators and leaders, both at HMS and at its affiliated hospitals and research institutions. Better Together also acknowledges a shared responsibility and potential to address issues of health disparities, equity and social justice. Convened by Dean George Q. Daley and chaired by Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership Joan Y. Reede, the Task Force included 36 administrators, faculty, staff and students. Their community-wide assessment included input gathered through town meetings, focus groups, site visits, website portals and surveys.
It is critical for us to celebrate our diversity and to chart a course for improvement so that our community can nurture the best science, education and service; remedy the pipeline problem in the biomedical sciences; interface better with our patients and communities; and reduce health disparities.
In this increasingly diverse and changing society, we must prepare a workforce that both represents and is sensitive to all people in our community. Diversity is not just about race and ethnicityit includes gender, sexual orientation, class, age, language, disability and ability, and the intersectionality of these attributes. The richness of our diversity contributes to our strength in teaching, research and clinical care.
