The Office of Human Research Administration (OHRA) strives to ensure that research involving human participants is consistent with established ethical principles, legal and regulatory requirements, and institutional policies and procedures. As the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Institutional Review Board (JHM IRB) serves as Kennedy Krieger’s IRB of record, OHRA also helps to ensure compliance with the applicable policies and procedures of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
OHRA oversees the Kennedy Krieger pre-review process for all human subjects research studies where Kennedy Krieger is identified as a study site on an IRB application. OHRA is available to assist Principal Investigators in writing clear, organized, and well-designed research protocols. The OHRA team will also audit and monitor protocols for compliance and quality assurance, help facilitate external audits, and provide regulatory guidance and educational training. OHRA is headed by the Chief Science Officer and includes regulatory, compliance, and human subjects research specialists.