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Please note: These pages are maintained only intermittently. Some links may be out of date. Although this material is not rigorously maintained, we provide it in the hopes you might find some of it useful.

[Transportation, Commuting, and Traveling] [Housing and Moving] [International Visitors Information] [Academic Life at the DSG] [Living in Boston] [Entertainment, Culture, and Dining]

Academic Life at the DSG

[Libraries and Book Stores] [Food in the Area] [Longwood Medical Area Institutions] [IDs and Security] [Volunteer Benefits and Hospital Privilege] [Whom To Contact at the DSG] [Hardware Resources and Office Equipment] [Email Lists and Usage] [DSG Network Information] [Office Culture and Policies] [Other Useful Harvard University Links]

Libraries and Book Stores

Food in the Area

  • Main BWH cafeteria - Located near the BWH towers at the Pike. Salads, Pizza, Deli, Grill, entrees. Lunch times: 11:40 am - 2:20 pm. Dinner time: 4:30 to 7:30 pm. Rest of the time - Pizzas, donuts, and coffee available. Volunteer coupons accepted here.
  • Pat's Place - Serves breakfast, lunch, snacks, vending machines. Good sandwiches and subs. Try the chicken cutlet, seafood salad, steak and egg, or eggplant subs. Average sub price - about $4.00
  • Au Bon Pain - French bakery cafe. Also serves soups.
  • Vanderbilt Hall cafeteria
  • Longwood Galleria Foodcourt - McDonalds, Pizzeria Regina, Ice cream stores, Sterling cafe ("free fridays" - deli-type food on fridays 5-7 pm)
  • Countway Library vending machines - Snacks, drinks, and cold sandwiches
  • Sami's van - Open air middle-eastern wraps and sandwiches...great during summer days. Located next to HMS bldg A and the Countway library.
  • Other Hospital Cafeterias - DFCI, BIDMC, TCH, HSPH
  • Near the Brigham Circle - Chinese food, Pizza places etc.
  • Vending machines are spread all over the hospital

Longwood Medical Area Institutions

Other institutions in the Longwood Medical Area are:Harvard Medical School, The Countway Library of Medicine, The Children's Hospital, and Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Other nearby institutions are Harvard Dental School, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, and Harvard School of Public Health on Longwood Avenue, and the Deaconess Hospital, Joslin Diabetes Center, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (former Beth Israel Hospital and the Deaconess Hospitals) on Brookline avenue.

IDs and Security

Ask your supervisor or fellow group members about this.

Volunteer Benefits and Hospital Privilege

Visiting students, scholars, researchers, and fellows can utilize benefits offered to volunteers. Note: Clearance from Occupational Health Services required before joining the volunteer program (PPD skin testing for TB, Rubella, Varicella blood tests etc -Free). Also note, you need a BWH ID that mentions "Volunteer" to utilize these benefits.

  • Free Meal tickets for volunteers worth $4.00 in the BWH cafeteria (contact BWH volunteer office opposite orthopedics department on the Pike). Note: if you buy less than $4.00, you will not get money back. if you buy over $4.00, either pay cash, or present another coupon.
  • Free health services for injuries or accidents incured during work hours
  • Free parking in Mission Parking Garage (before 7:00 am and after 5:00 pm)
  • Letter of commendation upon request (after minimum 50 hrs of service)
  • Free uniform - Lab coats etc. - to be returned at the end of service

The BWH volunteers are also entitled to some of the employee benefits, such as:

  • Subsidised MBTA Passes
  • Discounted movie tickets ($4.50 each)
  • Discounted pharmacy sales

In addition, attending public lectures and events is free.

Office Culture and Policies

We like to explain certain aspects of the DSG and Harvard working culture to our visitors and new members, so that they can spend less time acclimating and more time having a fruitful and enjoyable experience:
  • We use email intensively as a tool to deal with our geographical distribution and often necessarily asynchronous work style. A significant number of meetings and discussion happen on email, something that may take some getting used to. The DSG is an intense and exciting place, but much of what happens is in cyberspace!
  • Because of our geographic distribution, flexible work style, and intense work environment, newcomers should realise that personal initiative is needed to make contact with people, learn about their work, and to form working relationships with them. You'll find people happy to talk about their work, and more than happy if you decide to join with them in working on a project. Just don't get left behind by failing to be inquisitive and persistent, both useful traits in this busy environment.
  • Work at the DSG, and really Harvard in general, tends to be collaborative, often somewhat unstructured, and dynamic. Your role in this mix is to seek out your own interests, to join with others in joint projects, and to develop over time your own niche of contribution, as based on your interests and talents. In a very real sense, coming to Harvard puts you into a "sink or swim" situation, where the degree of your success depends on your initiative and ability to develop fruitful collaborations. This is bad if you get stressed about it, but fantastic if you realise the flexibility and potential the environment offers you.
  • Dr. Greenes is a very accessible part of the DSG, even if you don't end up seeing him in person as often as you might expect at first. His presence at the DSG is constant and ubiquitous, via email and teleconferencing. Don't hesitate to contact him in order to discuss your ideas or seek guidance, and to pick his brain about his ambitious and exciting vision for computing in health care.
Sometimes we're asked about policy issues. The DSG is a very relaxed place. However, a few things are well worth mentioning:
  • All research publications have to be discussed with and reviewed by Dr. Greenes before sending them out to publishers. This is just common sense.
  • There are no restrictions to working late, or to working flexible hours, so long as you are available as necessary for meetings (virtual or real presence), and you are contributing as an active and productive member of the DSG. If you stay late at the DSG to work, be sure to have your ID with you since security patrols the office areas. And don't forget to bring your pillow!

Other Useful Harvard University Links


This page is auto-generated. Last update: 05:54 PM EST Fri 21 Jan 2000