Brand Identity

The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine sign on campus.

Our name

How we refer to ourselves:

University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine

When abbreviation is necessary:

UNR Med

Why UNR Med?

The short story

Consistency is key – consistency in design, text and in our name. Whenever possible, we refer to ourselves by our full name – University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. When an abbreviation is needed, we refer to ourselves as UNR Med.

In writing

In writing, the first reference should always be our full name, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses – e.g., University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med). After this instance, the abbreviation can be used on its own when necessary.

In conversation

It is best to always use the school’s full name in conversation with external audiences and people who are not familiar with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. However, acronyms are often used as an internal shorthand – a way for us all to refer to ourselves without using our full name. Our internal shorthand is UNR Med, and this is how we can refer to ourselves in internal meetings and informal internal communications.

Incorrect Name Usage

  • UNRSOM
  • UNSOM
  • UNR School of Medicine
  • UNR Medicine
  • UNR Medical School
  • University of Nevada School of Medicine
  • School of Medicine
  • Medical School
UNR Med students reciting their physician's oath during their hooding ceremony.

Our voice

UNR Med embodies the voice of the University of Nevada, Reno - like a trusted friend sharing stories over a warm cup of coffee, we approach our communication with warmth, kindness and optimism.

Our attributes

We emphasize:

  • The quality of our curriculum, faculty and staff
  • The personal tailored experience we offer our students
  • The profound research charges we lead
  • The personalized, high quality patient care we offer
  • The connection to our University

We highlight:

  • Our strong ties to the community
  • Our high achieving alumni
  • Our global reach
  • Our long history of excellence

Writing Style Guide

UNR Med uses the University's Style Guide, designed to help writers and communicators across campus with matters of grammar and style, whether writing for internal or external audiences. This guide follows the Associated Press Stylebook.

Key Guidelines:

Abbreviations and acronyms

  • Use periods only with acronyms of two letters - e.g., M.D., M.S., R.N., including Ph.D. Although periods are still used in many abbreviations, often they may be omitted - e.g., RDN, MBA, MPH.

Academic degrees

  • Use “Dr.” only for medical doctors. Note: Preferred style for medical doctors is to use M.D., D.O., after the name - e.g., John Smith, M.D. However, on second mention, for example, use Dr. Smith.
  • When used after a name, an academic abbreviation is set off by commas - e.g., John Smith, Ph.D., spoke to students today. Note: Use these abbreviations only after a full name, never after just a last name.

Titles

  • Capitalize formal titles such as professor, dean or chair when they procede a name (e.g., Professor John Smith, Ph.D.). Lowercase elsewhere (e.g., John Smith, Ph.D., professor of microbiology).

Refer to the University's Style Guide for more