Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Institutional Review Board
The mission of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) Office is to ensure the protection of the safety, rights, and welfare of all human participants in research studies conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health faculty, staff, and students in the U.S. and in countries around the world.
The IRB Office oversees two IRBs registered with the U.S. Office of Human Research Protections, IRB X and IRB FC, which meet weekly to review human subjects research applications for Bloomberg School faculty and students.
Grant Termination Guidance
If you received a stop work or cancellation notice from the federal government regarding a grant or contract that involves human subjects research (NOT a NR/NHSR/NE project), please contact the IRB to develop a plan for closing out the project (bsph.irboffice@jhu.edu). You may also contact the director, Katherine Frey, directly at kparris1@jh.edu.
What to Expect: Review Timelines for Investigators
The IRB Office works to ensure that every project is processed efficiently and thoroughly.
Holiday Reviews: Note that the IRB Office will be closed over the University holidays December 24, 2025–January 1, 2026. This is often a period with planned time off for IRB Office team members and Board members. The Boards will not meet December 23–24 or December 30–31, 2025. Please expect longer review times between December 19, 2025, and January 2, 2026.
If you have a study that will expire during this period, the continuing review/progress report must be submitted by December 1, 2025, to ensure that there is no lapse in approval.
Questions? BSPH.irboffice@jh.edu
Contact Us
The IRB Office is a fully remote office and can be reached via phone or email.
IRB Office staff are available to assist faculty, staff, and students with operational and regulatory issues, and to help address concerns associated with individual research submissions.
Phone: 410-955-3193 or 1-888-262-3242
General IRB Questions: BSPH.irboffice@jhu.edu
Public Health Institutional Review Submission and Tracking (PHIRST) Help Questions: BSPH.phirsthelp@jhu.edu
Institutional Official: Gregory D. Kirk, MD, MPH, PhD, Vice Dean for Research
Contact the IRB Navigator if you need assistance: IRBNav@jh.edu