Privacy Policy

Our Privacy Policy is designed to assist you in understanding how we, the Center for Medical Simulation (CMS), collect and use the personal information you provide to us and to assist you in making informed decisions when using our site and our products and services. Please direct questions about our policy to: [email protected].

Your Consent

By using our website you consent to our collection and use of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. If we change our privacy policies and procedures, we will post those changes on our website to keep you aware of what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances we may disclose it.

What is Personal Data?

Any type of information that identifies or can be linked to an individual is considered personal data. This can include information such as an IP address or device identifier in addition to the usual types of personal data (i.e., name, address, phone number).

What Information Do We Collect?

When you visit our website you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and website use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our website.

Personal Information You Choose to Provide

Our website uses webforms to allow you to request information or certain services such as courses. Any personal information that you provide to us may be collected and stored by us including information contained in any comment, webform or other submission that you upload or post to our website, and any image or video. This includes personal identifying information submitted, such as your name, address, email address, and telephone number. Any financial information such as your payment method or other financial information will also be collected if you transact business with us. If you choose to correspond with us through a phone call or email, we may retain the content of our conversation along with your telephone number or content of email messages along with your email address and our responses.

Website Use Information

Similar to other commercial websites, our website utilizes a standard technology called “cookies” (see explanation below, “What Are Cookies?”) and web server logs to collect information about how our website is used. Information gathered through cookies and web server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at our website, your IP address, browser type, operating system, internet service provider and the websites visited just before and just after our website. We may use your IP address to identify the general geographic area from which you are accessing our website. We, our advertisers and ad serving companies may also use small technology or pieces of code to determine which advertisements and promotions users have seen and how users responded to them.

How Do We Use the Information that You Provide to Us?

Broadly speaking, we use personal information for purposes of administering and expanding our business activities, providing customer service and making available other products and services to our customers and prospective customers. Occasionally, we may also use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services and special offers we think you will find valuable. If we require your consent for any specific use of your personal information, we will collect it at the appropriate time and you can withdraw your consent at any time.

What Are Cookies?

A cookie is a very small text document, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier. When you visit a website, that site’s computer asks your computer or mobile device for permission to store this file in a part of your hard drive specifically designated for cookies. Each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser’s preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a website to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites. Some of our business partners (e.g., advertisers) use cookies that originate from their sites. We have no access or control over those cookies. For additional information on cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set on your device and how to manage and delete them, visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org.

How Do We Use Information We Collect from Cookies?

As you use our website, the site uses its cookies to differentiate you from other users. Cookies do not allow us to gather any personal information about you and we do not generally store any personal information that you provided to us in your cookies.

Our website uses both session and persistent cookies. These are the different types of cookies we use to run our site:

  • Essential cookies. Necessary for the operation of the website. In some cases, we use cookies to prevent you from seeing unnecessary advertisements or requiring you to log in more than is necessary for security.
  • Analytical/performance cookies. We use analytic programs, such as Google Analytics, to collectively track website visitors. In conjunction with our web server’s log files, these cookies allow us to calculate the aggregate number of people visiting our website and which parts of the website are most popular. This helps us gather feedback in order to constantly improve our website and better serve our customers.
  • Functionality cookies. Used to recognize you when you return to the website. This enables us to personalize our content for you and remember your preferences (e.g. your search settings).
  • Social cookies. Allows you to share our content on other sites such as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. The privacy settings you have chosen on those social network sites dictate your privacy implication.

Sharing Information with Third Parties

We may enter into alliances, partnerships or other business arrangements with third parties who may be given access to personal information including your name, address, telephone number and email for the purpose of providing you information regarding products and services that we think will be of interest to you. In connection with these alliances, partnerships or arrangements, we may also provide certain information to third parties if we have determined that the information will be used in a responsible manner by a responsible third party. For example, some of our partners operate stores or provide services on our site, while others power offerings developed by us for your use.

We also use third parties to facilitate our business, including but not limited to sending email and processing credit card payments. In connection with these offerings and business operations, our partners and other third parties may have access to your personal information for use in connection with business activities. As we develop our business, we may buy or sell assets or business offerings. Customer, email and visitor information is generally one of the transferred business assets in these types of transactions. We may also transfer such information in the course of corporate divestitures, mergers or any dissolution.

What About Other Websites Linked to Our Website?

We are not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to, or from, our website nor the information or content contained therein. Often links to other websites are provided solely as pointers to information on topics that may be useful to the users of our website.

Please remember that when you use a link to go from our website to another website, our Privacy Policy is no longer in effect. Your browsing and interaction on any other website, including websites which have a link on our website, is subject to that website’s own rules and policies. Please read over those rules and policies before proceeding.

How Long Do We Store the Information that You Provide to Us?

The Center for Medical Simulation stores your personal information for as long as is necessary for the purposes stated in “How Do We Use the Information that You Provide to Us?” (see explanation above), unless a longer period is required under applicable law, or is needed to resolve disputes or protect our legal rights or otherwise to comply with legal obligations.

How Secure is My Personal Information?

The Center for Medical Simulation takes every reasonable precaution to protect your information against accidental or intentional misuse, manipulation, theft, and unauthorized access. We use policies and procedures designed to protect your information and take technical measures such as a secure data exchange protocols using encryption and data storage on secure servers. Despite our best efforts to protect your personal information, we are unable to guarantee the security of any information that you provide to us via data transmission over the Internet because no computing environment is 100% secure. Any information that you provide to us is done at your own risk.

How Do I Opt-out?

Cookies & Advertising

You may still use our website if you choose to opt out of cookies but certain features may be restricted and some site functionality may be affected. You can control the use of certain cookies and similar technologies by:

Marketing Email

Email addresses for course and program alumni, donors, potential donors, friends of CMS, and website visitors who opt-in are added to our mailing list. You may update your preferences or unsubscribe from marketing email communications using the unsubscribe from this list or update subscription preferences links at the bottom of each marketing email. You may also unsubscribe from the list directly here.

How Do I Review and Update My Personal Information?

You have the right to access an electronic copy of the personal information that you provided to us and request corrections or deletion of any of your personal information that we hold subject to certain exceptions. Please email [email protected] to exercise your rights and to direct comments or inquiries about our privacy practices. You may also write to:

Center for Medical Simulation
Attn: Privacy
100 First Avenue, 4th floor, Suite 400
Boston, MA 02129-2011

Last Updated: July 26, 2018