Harvard Medical School Information for BWH Postdocs

Appointments:

Brigham and Women's Hospital or Harvard Medical School?  Both!  BWH is a Harvard Academic Medical Center, so all BWH postdoctoral research fellows should be given an "appointment" at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Sponsored Staff members may also be eligible for HMS Appointments, though they are not eligible for BWH benefits. 

Essentially you have two "titles" for your CV:
     - Postdoctoral Research Fellow, BWH
     - Research Fellow, HMS

Each institution provides a different set of benefits:
     - BWH is your employer and provides your core benefits such as Medical, Dental, T Pass, etc.
     - Harvard ID and appointment provides you access to the M2 Shuttle, libraries, etc.

The Harvard appointment generates your Harvard University ID number (HUID) which gives you access to eCommons, the Harvard Medical Intranet, as well as your Harvard ID badge and HMS Countway Library and digital library access.  To find out the status of your Harvard appointment:

1. Check the HMS White Pages which lists all those with active HMS appointments.
2. Check with your departmental administrator to see if they have submitted the appointment paperwork to HMS.  This can take several weeks to be processed.
3. The ORC may be able to assist if a fellow is unable to determine appointment status after taking the first two steps. 

Library Access:

Please note that the BWH Medical Library is available to you immediately, and can assist with specific requests before your HMS library access is granted.  If you are ineligible for a Harvard appointment you can still be given access to HMS libraries with permission from a BWH/HMS faculty member using the Special Borrower Form.

ID Badges:

To obtain a Harvard ID, you must visit one of the photo capture sites to have your picture taken.  An official picture identification card (hospital ID, driver’s license, passport) is necessary to obtain the ID.  In the Longwood Medical Area, you can get your photo taken at Harvard School of Public Health, Kresge Building, 677 Huntington Avenue, Room 103A, 617 432-0389.

Postdoc Association (HMS PDA):

The HMS PDA is open to all BWH postdocs, and sponsors career development, professional networking and social events. 

Training/Fellowship Verification: 

Should you or a prospective employer need verification of the dates of your academic appointment at Harvard Medical School or School of Dental Medicine, please send a brief letter detailing the request via fax to HMS Human Resources at (617) 432-3280. Please include the word "VERIFICATION" on the fax cover sheet. Be advised that verification requests may take up to two weeks to fulfill.  Please note that the BWH ORC and the HMS/HSDM Office for Postdoctoral Fellows do not issue certificates of completion to Postdoctoral Fellows.  The verification provided by Human Resources should not be deemed as such. After clicking on link above, scroll to bottom of page.