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Social Media Policy

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ("DFCI") welcomes patients and community members to post comments, stories, photos, and other content to our official social media pages on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), YouTube, Instagram, and other social media platforms ("social media pages").

Not Medical Advice

Information shared on social media pages does not constitute medical advice. If you have a medical question or concern, please contact your health care provider, or dial 911 in the event of an emergency.

If you have a concern or complaint about care you received at DFCI, the Patient/Family Relations Office can provide you with assistance. They can be reached directly at 617-632-3417. Or, if you prefer, and it is urgent, you can page the office through the hospital operator at 617-632-3000, pager ID #42137, so they may contact you.

While we encourage user interaction, we cannot respond to every comment or posting via social media. If you have a concern or complaint about content on our social media pages, please contact the Communications department at social@dfci.harvard.edu.

About Our Patient Stories

Dana-Farber shares patient stories which may include descriptions of actual medical results. Dana-Farber provides personalized care for each patient based on their unique needs; their experiences and results will vary.

User Rights and Responsibilities

  • Do not post content that includes any of the following:
    • Language or content that is discriminatory based on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national origin, or any other characteristic at DFCI's discretion.
    • Obscene, sexual, violent, or graphic language or content.
    • Defamatory language or impersonation of others.
    • Harassment or abuse of other users.
    • Spam or advertisements.
    • Illegal activity or the violation of rights of any person or entity, including intellectual property, privacy, or publicity rights, or the promotion thereof.
  • You must be at least 18 years old or have permission from a parent or guardian to post content.

If you are a DFCI workforce member, you must disclose your affiliation with DFCI and follow the DFCI Electronic Communications and Social Networking policy when posting content. DFCI workforce members should refer to Policy Number: HR-4.08 for more information.

  • Make sure you have the right to share any content that you post. You are responsible for any third-party damages arising from use of social media.
  • By its very nature, content posted to social media is not private and remains viewable long after it is posted. Health information shared on social media is not considered protected health information (PHI) and can be further shared, linked, or tagged once posted. Use caution before posting personal health information on any of DFCI's social media sites. Please remember that your posts and comments are available for all to see.
  • Exercise caution for yourself and others when posting content that might compromise the personal or medical privacy of any other people, including patients and DFCI employees. Always obtain consent when posting content that includes other people, including permission from a parent or guardian when posting content that includes minors. Consider who and what is in the background of any pictures, including photographs of, or at, any DFCI facility.
  • Do not post photographs containing any medical information, including hospital wristbands, computer screens, financial statements, or anything that may contain a patient's name, date of birth, medical condition, or other personal information.

DFCI Rights and Responsibilities

  • DFCI has the exclusive right to remove content from our social media pages or block access to our social media pages for any reason at our sole discretion.
  • DFCI does not endorse any content posted on our social media pages by users, including links or products described by users.
  • DFCI has the right to use any content posted on our social media pages and has the irrevocable right to share, distribute, publish, display, modify, create derivative works of, or otherwise use this content with no obligation to the user who posted it.
  • DFCI is not responsible for any damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, or costs (including attorneys' fees) arising out of any claims relating to any content posted on our social media pages.
  • DFCI is not responsible for the terms and conditions of any third-party social media sites or for content on third-party social media sites that “tags” or mentions DFCI.
  • In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 512 (the "DCMA"), DFCI is registered as a Service Provider with the United States Copyright Office. Notifications of copyright infringement claims should be reported to our designated agent, as follows:

    Christina Lau, Esq.
    Assistant General Counsel
    Office of General Counsel
    Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc.
    450 Brookline Avenue
    Boston, MA 02215
    Email: ChristinaT_Lau@dfci.harvard.edu

    Any such notice must be in writing, and must include the following information as required by the DMCA:
    • A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or the person authorized to act on its behalf.
    • A description of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
    • A description of the infringing material and information reasonably sufficient to permit Dana-Farber to locate the material.
    • Your contact information, including your address, telephone number, and email.
    • A statement by you that you have a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law.
    • A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and, under the pains and penalties of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.