Brief Overview

JHU eDisclose is a website that supports submission, tracking, review and management of disclosures of outside activities and interests. All disclosures must be made using this online system. 

The system gives users real-time access to their disclosures. Users can view the status of the review of each disclosure, the outcome of the review, and the management plan or conditions assigned to the disclosure. JHU eDisclose allows users to generate a single report containing all of their disclosures to assist in making reports to journals and conferences.

Who sees the information I submit via eDisclose?  Is the information safe?

Staff members in your school or division’s reviewing office have access to your disclosures. In addition, members of your school or division’s conflict of interest committee will be provided access to the information necessary for their review.  Staff members in the IRB offices and the Johns Hopkins Technology Transfer Office have limited access to the information in eDisclose. Department directors and chairs and their designees, in some cases including department administrators, have access to the disclosures of faculty members in their departments. A financial interest that is judged to be related to PHS-supported research and is determined to be a financial conflict of interest under regulatory standards is subject to additional disclosure requirements. The University is required to provide certain information about the conflict of interest to the PHS awarding agency and to make certain information available to the public.

Why can’t I delete a disclosure?

eDisclose (and previously, eOPC) retains a record of all user disclosures. When a user updates a disclosure to indicate that the relationship has ended or the financial interest no longer exists, the “ended” status is reflected in the system. So disclosures do not need to be deleted when an activity or interest ends. (Please note that if an update to a disclosure was submitted erroneously, staff from your school or division’s reviewing office may “withdraw” the update.)

Can I submit one disclosure for two companies if I am performing the same consulting services for each of them?

No. eDisclose is an entity-based system. You must create a new disclosure for each company or organization with which you have a relationship or interest. Reporting by entity allows the institution to effectively manage each relationship and provide accurate reporting of outside commitments and conflicts of interest. 

I am providing two different services (or have two separate agreements) with one company.  Should I submit two disclosures?

No. eDisclose is an entity-based system. All aspects of your relationship with one company or organization (e.g., services provided, ownership of equity, other financial interests or roles related to the entity) should be included in your disclosure. Moreover, relationships with an entity are reviewed as a whole, and remuneration received based on that relationship may be considered in the aggregate for purposes of reviewing and reporting financial conflicts of interest and monitoring compliance with institutional policies. Reporting by entity allows the institution to effectively manage each relationship and provide accurate reporting of outside commitments and conflicts of interest.

Will the information that I submit via eDisclose be available to the public? 

Federal regulation requires that the University respond to requests from any member of the public for information regarding arrangements the institution determines are financial conflicts of interest associated with PHS-funded research.  (Note: not all disclosures of outside interests or activities are determined to be financial conflicts of interest with PHS-funded research.) Within five business days of the receipt of a sufficiently complete written request, the institution must provide the following information:  (1) investigator’s name; (2) investigator’s title and role with respect to the research project;  (3) name of the entity in which the investigator’s significant financial interest is held; (4) the nature of the significant financial interest; and (5) the approximate dollar value of the significant financial interest (with the following dollar ranges being permissible: $0-$4,999; $5,000-$9,999; $10,000-$19,999; amounts between $20,000-$100,000 by increments of $20,000; amounts above $100,000  by increments of $50,000) or a statement that the interest is one whose value cannot be readily determined through reference to public prices or other reasonable measures of fair market value. 

I use a Macintosh computer.  Are there any special considerations for Mac users?

Mac users should not experience difficulty using eDisclose, provided that a compatible web browser is used.  For the best experience, please use one of the following recommended browsers:

Platform	Browser
Microsoft Windows (all versions)	Internet Explorer 7 or later, Firefox 7 or later, Chrome 9 or later
Apple Mac OS X 10.4x or later	Safari 4 or later, Firefox 3 or later

For assistance with the technical aspects of using the University’s online disclosure system, JHU eDisclose, please click here to be redirected to a selection of issue-specific user guides.  For all other inquiries not addressed below, please contact the appropriate office for your school or division.