Institutional Review Board

The Main Line Hospitals Institutional Review Board (MLH IRB) is responsible for and services the entire research community within Main Line Health, including Bryn Mawr, Lankenau, Paoli and Riddle hospitals and Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital.

The MLH IRB upholds the principles of the Belmont Report and guidelines for the protection of human subjects participating in research under its jurisdiction. We are committed to safeguarding the rights and welfare of persons participating in research conducted under its jurisdiction.

The Office of Research Protection (ORP) is structured to facilitate the review process of human subject research by the MLH IRB. We are a resource for navigating the realm of regulatory compliance and fostering the ethical conduct of human subject research within the Main Line Health research community at large.

Main Line Hospitals Institutional Review Board fee

NEW Fee Schedule (Effective January 1, 2022)

Please note, the IRB fee schedule has been modified to reflect rising expenses associated with operating our IRB and human research protection program. The MLH IRB has not adjusted its fee schedule since January 2015. View our new fee schedule (PDF).

Full AAHRPP Accreditation

Our Human Research Protection Program, administered through the Office of Research Protections and the Main Line Hospitals Institutional Review Board, has received full accreditation by the Association for Accreditation of Human Subject Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) for five years effective December 17, 2018.

A non-profit organization, AAHRPP provides accreditation for organizations that conduct or review human subject’s research.

Learn more about the AAHRPP

Meeting dates and deadlines

If you are considering submitting a new research study for full committee review, please review the meeting dates and deadlines below and provide all paperwork for your study prior to the deadline.

Once the study is received, it will be administratively reviewed to ensure all necessary materials are submitted. Studies which are complete will be scheduled for a meeting on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once scheduled, you will be contacted to arrange a time when the Principal Investigator may attend the meeting to present the study to the IRB and answer questions which arise.

If you are planning to submit a Continuing Review for an existing study, please plan to submit the materials no less than six weeks in advance of the study expiration while taking into consideration the meeting dates and deadlines below. Continuing review submissions will be administratively reviewed to ensure all necessary materials are submitted. Submissions which are complete will be scheduled for a meeting on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Please note that there are no submission deadlines for expedited and exempt studies.

Main Line Hospitals IRB meetings

Note that all meetings will be held via Teams (unless otherwise indicated) at 2:00 pm.