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 (BSPH) 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.

IRB X meets every Tuesday: Oversees research that qualifies as Exempt as well as non-Exempt research eligible for expedited review. 

IRB FC meets every Wednesday: Oversees all research that poses greater than minimal risk to individuals and/or to groups.

The BSPH IRB is authorized to interpret the federal human subjects research regulations and determine which activities require BSPH IRB oversight. 

The School’s human research protection program (HRPP) is registered with the U.S. Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) as follows:

IORG Number: 0000077

Federal Wide Assurance (FWA): 00000287

IRB X Registration Number: FWA0000758

IRB FC Registration Number: FWA00000112

Both IRBs apply the requirements of the U.S. Common Rule, 45 CFR 46, to all non-exempt human subjects research. IRB-FC reviews studies involving FDA regulated products in accordance with 21 CFR Parts 50 and 56.

To fulfill the agreement underlying the assurances, and to satisfy institutional policy, all faculty, staff, and students at BSPH must submit for IRB review any human subject research project, regardless of funding source (or lack thereof) and/or location at which the research will be conducted.

For more information on the federal guidelines that determine the kind of research the BSPH IRB is required to approve please visit http://www.hhs.gov/

Contact Us

The BSPH 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

Contact the IRB Navigator if you need assistance:  IRBNav@jh.edu