Zoom

Zoom is available for the following groups:

• HMS and HSDM Quad-based faculty, students, and staff – You can sign in directly at harvard.zoom.us.
• Off-Quad HMS faculty and employees at HMS-affiliated institutions – If you are actively teaching an HMS course (that leads to an HMS degree or post-graduate certificate), or involved in research through an on-quad HMS department, and need Zoom in support of those HMS courses, you may request Zoom access.

HMS does not provide Zoom accounts for:

• Hospital-based activities – We encourage those involved in other graduate medical education, hospital-based research, or clinical departmental activities to request a Zoom account from their affiliated hospital.
• Non-Harvard business purposes – Due to licensing limitations, we cannot issue Zoom accounts for purposes outside of the direct business of Harvard University and HMS.

Users must exercise caution and not share Protected Health Information (PHI) or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) about patients through Zoom.

Zoom webinars facilitate one-to-many communication, typically featuring one or more panelists and many attendees who participate in a view-only mode.

Zoom Meetings encourage interactive participation, allowing all attendees to share their screens and use video and audio. In contrast, Zoom Webinars are designed for situations where only the hosts and panelists share their video, audio, and screen. For a detailed comparison, visit the Zoom Meeting and Webinar comparison page.

Key features of webinars include:

• Only hosts and panelists can share content, audio, and video.
• Default capacity for up to 500 view-only attendees, with options to expand.
• Attendees can engage through Q&A, chat, and polls.
   

Access

• Free licenses – Available for occasional use by all Harvard Zoom users, these are shared within the community and are not for permanent assignment. To request a free license, complete the HUIT Zoom Webinar/Large Meeting License Request Form. For managing webinars with multiple hosts or managers, consult the guide on sharing webinar management.
• Dedicated licenses – Dedicated licenses are purchasable for regular webinars or large meetings. Use the HMS Webinar License form to request one. Select the appropriate license based on your participant count (500, 1000, and so on) and consider overflow options for large events. For multiple hosts or managers, additional licenses might be needed. Refer to the sharing management guide for details.
   

Support and resources

• For getting started, refer to the Zoom Webinar Best Practices document.
• HMS Enterprise Zoom Accounts
• Getting Started with Zoom Webinar
• Pre-recorded Zoom Webinar Training