Objectives: This study investigated to what degree social work was represented in the position of chair of social-behavioral institutional review boards (IRBs) at very high research activity (VHRA) universities in the United States. Method: We collected data on IRB rosters for all 108 schools designated by the Carnegie Foundation as VHRAs in the United States and analyzed the percentage of chairs for social-behavioral IRBs that came from social work. Results: Data (104 of the 108 VHRA universities) indicate only 3.8% of chairs come from social work. Conclusions: Universities would benefit from more social workers serving as chairs of social-behavioral IRBs because social work has a professional obligation to ethical and just research and is the most holistic of the social sciences. The background and training of professional social workers have obvious benefits in accessing and understanding the unique risks posed by the diverse proposals IRBs receive.