diff --git a/src/pynwb/__init__.py b/src/pynwb/__init__.py
index 9ea18efb8..f1681498b 100644
--- a/src/pynwb/__init__.py
+++ b/src/pynwb/__init__.py
@@ -372,6 +372,24 @@ def export(self, **kwargs):
         kwargs['container'] = nwbfile
         super().export(**kwargs)
 
+    @staticmethod
+    @docval({'name': 'path', 'type': (str, Path), 'doc': 'the path to the HDF5 file', 'default': None},
+            {'name': 'file', 'type': [h5py.File, 'S3File'], 'doc': 'a pre-existing h5py.File object', 'default': None},
+            is_method=False)
+    def read_nwb(**kwargs):
+        """
+        Helper factory method for reading an NWB file and return the NWBFile object
+        """
+        # Retrieve the filepath
+        path = popargs('path', kwargs)
+        file = popargs('file', kwargs)
+
+        # open the file with NWBZarrIO and rad the file
+        io = NWBHDF5IO(path=path, file=file, mode="r", load_namespaces=True)
+        nwbfile = io.read()
+
+        # return the NWBFile object
+        return nwbfile
 
 from . import io as __io  # noqa: F401,E402
 from .core import NWBContainer, NWBData  # noqa: F401,E402
diff --git a/tests/integration/hdf5/test_io.py b/tests/integration/hdf5/test_io.py
index d68334c89..1932b7680 100644
--- a/tests/integration/hdf5/test_io.py
+++ b/tests/integration/hdf5/test_io.py
@@ -531,3 +531,31 @@ def test_round_trip_with_pathlib_path(self):
         with NWBHDF5IO(pathlib_path, 'r') as io:
             read_file = io.read()
             self.assertContainerEqual(read_file, self.nwbfile)
+
+
+    def test_read_nwb_method_path(self):
+        
+        # write the example file
+        with NWBHDF5IO(self.path, 'w') as io:
+            io.write(self.nwbfile)
+            
+        # test that the read_nwb method works
+        read_nwbfile = NWBHDF5IO.read_nwb(path=self.path)
+        self.assertContainerEqual(read_nwbfile, self.nwbfile)
+
+        read_nwbfile.get_read_io().close()
+        
+    def test_read_nwb_method_file(self):
+        
+        # write the example file
+        with NWBHDF5IO(self.path, 'w') as io:
+            io.write(self.nwbfile)
+            
+        import h5py
+        
+        file = h5py.File(self.path, 'r')
+        
+        read_nwbfile = NWBHDF5IO.read_nwb(file=file)
+        self.assertContainerEqual(read_nwbfile, self.nwbfile)
+
+        read_nwbfile.get_read_io().close()