Dear UCSF Community,

As we welcome everyone back for the start of a new academic year, please take the opportunity to review UCSF’s Social Media policy, which helps align our online activities with UCSF’s principles of community and commitment to advance health for all.

UCSF encourages thoughtful social media engagement with a focus on how our actions online—via our personal and professional social media accounts—may affect others and reflect on our responsibilities as health leaders and members of the UCSF community. In particular, I want to highlight two important passages in UCSF’s Social Media policy:

Respect Consent: Never post photos, videos, or information about others without their consent, even if there is no identifying information in the photo. This includes fellow students, colleagues, patients, friends, family, and anyone else you encounter in a UCSF setting, whether professional or instructional.

Respect PRIDE Values: Be respectful. Do not post material that is profane, libelous, obscene, threatening, abusive, harassing, hateful, defamatory or embarrassing to another person or entity. As a UCSF community member, your online behavior should adhere to the same UCSF code of ethics as it would offline.

These principles help us uphold trust within our community and ensure that the dignity and privacy of all individuals are protected from practices that are referred to today as “doxxing.” Adhering to the UCSF Social Media policy protects our patients, learners, colleagues, communities, and one another. It also strengthens UCSF’s online presence as a trusted institution dedicated to care, research, and education.

Thank you for your continued commitment to upholding these values and standards as we begin the academic year together.

Sincerely,

Won Ha
Vice Chancellor, Communications