Note – A Harvard Sponsored Role (HSR) is required before an HMS account for guests can be requested. Visit the Harvard Sponsored Role website for more information.
Harvard Medical School accounts for guests allow visitors (non-HMS and HSDM employees) to access various HMS systems when requested by a sponsor. Sponsors must be Harvard Medical faculty or staff and have a valid Harvard ID number.
An HMS account for guests may initially be requested for up to one year, though they may be extended for additional time if approved by a sponsor. Due to the licensing agreements with electronic journals, HMS accounts for guest roles will not have access to the Digital Library.
For guests to access HMS digital resources, HMS accounts (formerly eCommons accounts) are required. A sponsor needs to request an HMS account for individuals with a legitimate role who are not automatically provisioned an HMS account.
Sponsor a new guest
- Setup the guest with a Harvard Sponsored Role (HSR)
- Fill out the HMS Guest User Request Form
- The guest will activate their HMS account from a link in an automated message sent to their personal email address used during onboarding. This automated message will be titled Activate your HMS account and contain their HMS account ID, activation code, and the link required to activate their new HMS account. A copy of this message will also be sent to the sponsor.
Note – An email notification is sent to the sponsor seven days prior to the guest account expiring. The notifications will continue to be sent to the sponsor daily until the expiration date is reached. See below for how to extend an existing guest account.
Extend an existing guest
- Extend the Harvard Sponsored Role (HSR) in the HSR Portal.
- Submit a guest extension form to extend the HMS account for the guest.
If you are a Wyss Institute staff member or Wyss affiliate requesting a guest account, you must submit a request through email to Wyss HR and Academic Affairs by emailing AcademicAffairs@wyss.harvard.edu.