School of Medicine & Public Health – Institutional Social Media Use

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Policy Number:
SMPH-1010
Old Policy Number:
10.10
Responsible Office:
SMPH Dean’s Office

School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

This policy establishes standards of social media use for institutional representation of School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) and any of its departments, programs, centers, institutes, and other units.

Definitions:
Account administrator
An individual who directly manages, administers, and/or contributes content to an institutional social media account within the social platform (e.g., by publishing content, responding to and deleting comments, creating and discontinuing in-platform ads, viewing performance metrics, and/or assigning other account co-administrators).
Institutional SMPH social media accounts
Social media profiles, accounts, and handles (usernames), including those made available through Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and other similar platforms, that represent SMPH and any of its departments, programs, centers, institutes, or other units.
Social media
Interactive, web-based, or digital platforms for social networking and content sharing. This includes all digital media platforms that are inherently social in nature or function.
Scope:

Anyone managing or contributing to an institutional SMPH social media account must follow this policy concerning that account. This includes anyone managing or contributing to a social media channel on behalf of an official entity at SMPH. This policy applies to all digital media platforms that are inherently social in nature or function and recognizes that such platforms will continually emerge and transform as technologies change.

Policy:

  1. Register Institutional Social Media Accounts 

    1. SMPH Office of Strategic Communications is the exclusive sponsor of the school’s social media presence.
    2. An SMPH institutional social media account cannot be administered solely by learners or trainees. At least one faculty or staff member must serve as an account administrator.
    3. SMPH personnel administering official SMPH social media accounts and those wishing to establish new official social media accounts should contact the Office of Strategic Communications to convey: 
      1. The name of the account (proposed or existing).
      2. The URL (if existing).
      3. Contact information for the account administrator and a backup administrator, and a plan for transfer of administrative duties upon departure of each administrator from the unit.
      4. A brief overview of the goals, audience, strategy, and measurements for success and draft content.
      5. An exit plan for closure of the account if the unit no longer intends to operate it.
    4. New institutional social media accounts must be approved by SMPH Office of Strategic Communications prior to launch. 

  2. Maintain Confidentiality and Privacy

    1. Do not post confidential or proprietary information about SMPH, its students, its alumni, or its employees. 
    2. Use good ethical judgment and follow university policies and federal requirements, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
    3. Mitigate safety risks regarding photos, videos, floor maps or other information showing interior locations of clinical facilities of a health system, research facilities or areas, lab animal holding facilities or areas, or other sensitive administrative, clinical, or research areas. Due to safety and security considerations, such content is considered Limited Access data under UW-6060 Distribution of Facility Data, Documents, and Graphics Information, and requires documented approval to be delivered in any format

  3. Accurately Reflect Institutional Activities, Positions, and Interests

    1. Account administrators bear the responsibility of accurately representing the unit associated with the account. 
    2. Institutional social media accounts should be used to advance the activities, mission, vision, and values of SMPH and its units. 
      1. Do not use the name of UW–Madison or SMPH or its programs to promote or endorse any product, unless authorized by the UW–Madison vice chancellor for strategic communication (or their designee) or the director of business services. 
      2. Do not use the name of UW Health or UW Hospitals and Clinics to promote or endorse any outside products, or services, as outlined in UW Health Policy 4.59, Provider Interactions with Industry and Clinical Conflicts of Interest. Do not use the name of UW Health or UW Hospitals and Clinics to promote or endorse pending or current legislation, elected officials, political candidates, or political parties.. 
      3. Do not use the name of UW–Madison, SMPH or its school units or programs, to promote, endorse, or criticize any pending or current legislation, political candidate, or political party. In accordance with UW-206 Institutional and Public Position Statements, refrain from using institutional social media accounts for issuing institutional public position statements about matters of public controversy or concern. 

  4. Maintain Institutional Social Media Accounts in a Timely Manner

    1. Administrators must regularly create content and monitor comments and interactions with the account. SMPH reserves the right to take measures to close accounts that have been inactive for an extended period of time. 
    2. Administrators must safeguard the security of official accounts by taking all reasonable measures to ensure that unauthorized users cannot gain access to accounts, mitigate overall risk, and reporting any security breaches in a timely manner to the SMPH Information Technology Networking and Security team.

  5. Close Institutional Accounts in an Orderly Manner

    1. When an institutional social media account is deemed to have reached its end-of-life cycle (e.g., because the unit it represents no longer wishes to operate it, or because the program it represents is no longer in existence or has transferred affiliation to another university/institution, etc.), administrators must close the account in an orderly manner.
    2. Closing the account includes downloading a copy of account data from the social media platform and providing this data to SMPH chief information security officer. 

  6. Use Official Accounts Responsibly for Crisis Communications

    1. In the event of an emergency (i.e., a situation that impacts the normal operations of the university or SMPH, and/or that causes the activation of an institutional emergency operations/incident command center), the university and school must communicate a unified message across all channels. Social media pages increasingly are among the first places employees, students and community members go for details on an emergency, what is being done, and what they should do to stay safe. In the event of an emergency, administrators of institutional accounts must post or share approved messages arising from the official institutional accounts of the university, school, and/or UW Health.
    2. Administrators of institutional accounts must not spread rumors, hearsay, or speculation. 

  7. Use UW–Madison, SMPH, and UW Health Trademarks with Fidelity

    1. Abide by trademark policies and brand standards for UW–Madison, SMPH, and UW Health. 
      1. Administrators should use up-to-date versions of logos. 
      2. Consult resources provided by the university Office of Strategic Communication, SMPH Office of Strategic Communications, and UW Health Marketing and Communications for guidance on trademarks and brand standards. 
Related UW-Madison Policies:
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:
External References:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Dean, School of Medicine and Public Health
Policy Manager:
SMPH Chief of Staff
Contact:
Chief Communications Officer, School of Medicine and Public Health -- Robyn Perrin, rmperrin@wisc.edu, (608) 263-5051
Effective Date:
09-01-2020
Date Issued:
09-01-2020
Revised Dates:

08-01-2021, 04-04-2025

Retrieved:
04-25-2025 23:42:53