Domain Name Guide for Johns Hopkins Medicine and the School of Medicine

Updated 7/30/26 – Internal Use Only – Not for Public Distribution

The Johns Hopkins Medicine main site is represented by the www.HopkinsMedicine.org domain name.   This domain name represents the whole health system and is used in just a few other cases.   Patient-facing or patient-focused sites should be a part of the existing www.hopkinsmedicine.org site.

A few exceptions exist where hopkinsmedicine.org is used in a third-level domain, such as jobs.hopkinsmedicine.org.   These are either historic in nature or approved due to the nature and scope of the individual site.

There are also some custom domains across the JHM system, including custom domains for Johns Hopkins Health plans, such as EHP.org, USFHP.com, and others.  Johns Hopkins HealthCare Solutions https://www.johnshopkinssolutions.com and other unique domain names are part of the overall health system.  

Johns Hopkins Medicine has established these guidelines for governing third-level domain (i.e., NAME.hopkinsmedicine.org) registrations to ensure that all URLs in the HopkinsMedicine.org domain are approved and used in alignment with institutional goals and to ensure that the Johns Hopkins Medicine name, brand, and reputation are protected. The granting of third-level hopkinsmedicine.org domain names will be limited to entities of broad scope and long duration.  These domains must tightly comply with all approved brand guidelines and be approved by the Marketing and Communications team for use. They are infrequently approved.

School of Medicine Academic and Research Community

For the School of Medicine academic and research community, Johns Hopkins Medicine has approved the use of JHMI.edu third-level domains.    The format for third-level domains is as follows NAME.JHMI.edu,   (such as https://medicalphysics.jhmi.edu/). This domain and format are focused on smaller sites in the research and the School of Medicine community, such as a specific clinical trial site, lab, or research grant-based sites.  Domains are available on a first come first serve basis.

Entities partnering with other institutions may request exceptions to these guidelines for reasons of branding or marketing. All exceptions require review and approval from Johns Hopkins Health System Marketing and Communications.   

Fourth-level domain names are generally unnecessary as they add complication to the domain scope.   For example, lab-name.department-name.jhmi.edu does not lend helpful context as the department-name.jhmi.edu does not exist and may cause confusion.   This is why sites can operate as third-level domain names or lab-name.jhmi.edu. 

Requests

Requests for a third-level domain name (also referred to as a sub domain) must originate from a staff member of the requesting entity and have the endorsement and sponsorship of the entity’s dean, director, communications lead, or department head, if not the requester. 

JHM entities that have an existing third-level domain (i.e., NAME.jhmi.edu) may not establish fourth-level domain names (i.e., NAME.NAME.jhmi.edu) without approval from Marketing and Communications. Fourth-level domain names may be requested from, and will be approved by, the relevant official responsible in Marketing and Communications.

Custom domains can be requested in situations where an existing domain name is not appropriate for the website or application.    These are evaluated by the marketing and governance teams at the time of request.   While not typically approved, there are situations where a custom domain is needed and is approved.

Make a request

Requirements for Approval

The requested subdomain should: 

  • accurately name the unit, department, or program;
    • The use of domain names must be approved by Marketing and Communications as a clearinghouse to ensure no duplications or conflicts across the JHHS domain information architecture, directory structure, or nomenclature. 
    • Use of abbreviations or acronyms for names must be approved by Marketing and Communications. 
  • third-level domains should not include “JHM, JHHS, or JH” in the name; 
  • not be generic or applicable to many units or functions, or conflict with other current or future subdomain requests for websites, services, or systems; 

Note on Interdisciplinary Units 

Interdisciplinary units, defined as programs or initiatives that span multiple units, should live within the parent unit’s URL structure whenever possible (e.g., PARENTUNIT.jhmi.edu/SUBUNIT or www.hopkinsmedicine.org/SUBUNIT) rather than requesting a new third-level subdomain. Subdomains are reserved for interdisciplinary efforts that do not fit naturally under an existing subdomain or are not intended to be supported on the main enterprise domain. This approach supports clarity, consistency, and a more user-friendly experience across the ecosystem. 

If an interdisciplinary unit does not have a logical home within an existing subdomain, a new third-level subdomain may be considered with approval from JHHS Marketing and Communications. 

Approval

Please allow approximately two to three business days for approval. A representative from Marketing will contact the requester with questions or feedback if necessary.  

Subdomains can begin to be used upon approval. Websites that live on the subdomain can be launched after review by Marketing and Communications (branding) and Information Technology (security, accessibility). 

The revocation of a third-level domain will be a rare occurrence, but could happen if an existing third-level domain conflicts with the request of another entity or is in violation of these guidelines. The review process for new third-level domains will include screening for current or potential future conflicts. 

For more information or to work with the marketing team regarding your domain, please contact [email protected]