Ramsay Clinic Northside
Research
Clinical trials are research studies designed to test new treatments, devices or diagnostic tools that researchers hope will improve outcomes for patients. There are many different types of clinical trials.
We understand that mental health disorders are some of the most challenging health issues in our society. That's why Ramsay Mental Health is leading the way in mental health research.
The Ramsay Clinic Northside (RCN) is dedicated to finding new treatments and care for conditions like anxiety, depression, eating disorders and more. Led by a team of globally recognised researchers, our team conducts groundbreaking research that help improve mental health outcomes.
For general information about clinical trials, please visit Ramsay Research
What do clinical trials do?
Clinical trials are used to find out if a treatment or care:
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| Is safe to use | Has any side effects | Works better than a standard treatment | Makes you feel better |
Why participate in a clinical trial?
Participation in any research project or Clinical Trial is voluntary. Our dedicated team will ensure that you are treated with the highest care and follow strict protocols, regulatory and ethical guidelines to ensure your safety, and your privacy and confidentiality is protected.
All research run at RCN has been reviewed and approved by a NH&MRC registered Human Research Ethics Committee.
How can I join a clinical trial
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| 1. Look for a trial | 2. Eligibility | 3. Understand and decide | 4. During the trial | 5. After |
| Your psychiatrist might suggest a clinical trial. You can also search for a recruiting trial. | Trials may specify who can join the trial. Your doctor will check if you meet the criteria. | Read the information given to you, such as the Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form (PICF), and discuss with family or carers. | Follow instructions you are given and talk to the trial team about any symptoms or concerns you may have. | The trial team may stay in contact with you for follow-up. |
Our Current Research Trials and Research Projects
To explore Ramsay Health Care's broader research efforts please visit Ramsay Research.
| Acronym | TRENA | RECRUITING | |||
| Title | Trial of Enhanced Neurostimulation for Anorexia | ||||
| Indication | Eating Disorder | Registration Number | NCT05788042 | ||
| Intervention | Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) or Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation (tDCS) | ||||
| Description |
Preliminary studies have suggested that non-invasive brain stimulation methods of both transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) have clinical benefits for improving psychological and eating disorder related symptoms, which can persist at long-term follow ups after acute treatment. Researchers will compare both treatments and see which one works best. Participants will be recruited and treated as inpatient setting at Northside Clinic and will be randomly allocated to receive treatment with either Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) or Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation tDCS Participation in this clinical trial is voluntary, please consult your doctor for more information. |
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| Eligibility Criteria (brief) |
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| Sponsor/Funding |
The George Institute (TGI) |
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| For more information about the trial | |||||
| Acronym | TREK Study | RECRUITING | |||
| Title | Comparative Effectiveness Study of Two Forms of Ketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression: a randomised, rater-blinded trial | ||||
| Indication | Mood Disorder | Registration Number | NCT06278779 | ||
| Intervention | Drug – Ketamine | ||||
| Description |
This study is for people with Treatment-Resistant Depression. This study will compare how well the treatments work, how patients tolerate them, and the cost-effectiveness of the two different forms of ketamine treatment called Spravato® (spray) and racemic (injection) ketamine. Participation in this clinical trial is voluntary; please consult your doctor for more information. |
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| Eligibility Criteria (brief) |
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| Sponsor/Funding | The George Institute (TGI) | ||||
| For more information about the trial | Click here to find out more | ||||
| Acronym | PANOREXIA | RECRUITING | |||
| Title | A clinical trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant anorexia nervosa. | ||||
| Indication | Eating Disorder | Registration Number | ACTRN12623000357651p | ||
| Intervention | Drug – Psilocybin-assisted Psychotherapy | ||||
| Description |
This study is for people with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). This clinical trial will study the efficacy of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in reducing core eating disorder psychopathology and increasing motivation to change in AN. It will also study effects on depression, anxiety, obsessive symptoms, cognitive flexibility, quality of life, and therapeutic alliance. Participation in this clinical trial is voluntary. Please consult your doctor for more information. |
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| Sponsor/Funding |
The University of Sydney |
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| Acronym | BALSAM-1 | RECRUITING | |||
| Title | A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-blind, Parallel-group, Placebo-controlled, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of KarXT for the Treatment of Manic Episodes in Bipolar-I Disorder. | ||||
| Indication | Bipolar-I Disorder | Registration Number | NCT06951698 | ||
| Intervention | Drug – KarXT | ||||
| Description |
This clinical trial is for people with Bipolar-I Disorder. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness and safety of a new drug called KarXT for the treatment of manic episodes. Participation in this clinical trial is voluntary. Please consult your doctor for more information. |
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| Sponsor/Funding |
Bristol Myers Squibb |
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| Acronym | The eCliPSE Project | RECRUITING | |||
| Title | A 3-level cluster randomised controlled trial implementing evidence-based eHealth interventions for comorbid mental health and alcohol/other drug use problems into health and community settings. | ||||
| Indication | Mental Health and Alcohol/Other Drug Use | Registration Number | ACTRN12622000333718 | ||
| Intervention | eCliPSE tool – web-based intervention tool | ||||
| Description |
This study aims to evaluate the uptake of eCliPSE, an online portal providing information and management tools for mental health and substance use. It will compare a direct-to-consumer marketing strategy with an Integrated Translation and Engagement Model designed to improve engagement. The eCliPSE tool is an online clinical portal supporting access to evidence-based eHealth treatments. Participation in this clinical trial is voluntary; please consult your doctor for more information. |
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| Sponsor/Funding |
University of Newcastle For more information click eCliPSE |
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| Acronym | The RAFT ECT Study | CLOSED TO RECRUITMENT | |||
| Title | The Randomised Controlled Trial of Frontoparietal and Tempoparietal Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) for Severe Depression | ||||
| Indication | Mood Disorder | Registration Number | NCT05402657 | ||
| Intervention | Device - Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) | ||||
| Description |
This study is for people with severe depression. Depression is devastating for those affected and is often associated with significant risk of suicide. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective acute treatment for severe depression, but patients can have cognitive side effects. Researchers will compare two different ways of placing the ECT electrodes (Frontoparietal or Temporoparietal) and see which one is better. Participation in this clinical trial is voluntary, please consult your doctor for more information. |
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| Sponsor/Funding | The George Institute (TGI) Click here to find out more |
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| Title | Markers in Neuropsychiatric Disorders: investigating biomarkers and clinical markers in neuropsychiatric, neurological and neurodegenerative disorders | CLOSED TO RECRUITMENT | |||
| Acronym | The MIND study | Indication | N/A | ||
| Description |
This research study aims to study how well a molecule in the blood (biomarker) called neurofilament light can improve early and accurate diagnosis for dementia and other diseases in the brain. Studying this biomarker can fill in many gaps in understanding, and improve clinical care and outcomes for patients and their families. Participants will be asked to donate blood samples and complete a memory test. Participation in this research is voluntary, please consult your doctor for more information. |
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| Sponsor/Funding | Melbourne Health | ||||
| Title | Genetic Risk Factors for Depression Genes, Clinical Assessment and Depression |
CLOSED TO RECRUITMENT | |||
| Acronym | GLAD Study | Indication | N/A | ||
| Description |
This study will explore whether testing of genetic risk factors, in conjunction with information about patients’ personal clinical characteristics, will enable development of a clinically useful measure for predicting outcome in individuals with depression. Participation in this research is voluntary, please consult your doctor for more information. |
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| Sponsor/Funding | Ramsay Health Research Foundation | ||||
Research and the Community
Ramsay Clinic Northside has stablished partnerships with non-for-profit and universities including
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The Black Dog Institute is an independent not-for-profit globally renowned mental health research institute connected to UNSW Sydney. It is the only medical research institute in Australia that investigates mental health across the lifespan—from childhood to adulthood.
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InsideOut is Australia’s national institute for research, translation, and clinical excellence in eating disorders. https://insideoutinstitute.org.au/
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Mental Health Australia General Clinical Trials Network (MAGNET), the first clinical trial network in Australia focused on adult mental health. Established to unify mental health clinical trial research improving prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery outcomes.
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ClinTrial Refer is an online platform allowing doctors and patients to independently search for actively recruiting clinical trials and to access trial site locations and contact details in real time.
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Contact Information
To stay informed about future research opportunities please reach out to us via, email, phone or the contact us form below.
Email: researchstudies.rcn@ramsayhealth.com.au
Phone: 02 9433 3555
For more information about Research throughout the Ramsay network, please visit Ramsay Research.
| Authors | Title | Year | Research Project | Journal | Link |
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| Barreiros, A. R., Tuneu, C. M., Waite, S., Sarma, S., Branjerdporn, G., Zeng, C., Dong, V., Loo, C., & Martin, D. M. | The effects of treatment, clinical and demographic factors on recovery of orientation after ECT: A care network study | 2024 | CARE Network | Journal of Affective Disorders | Link |
| Barreiros, A. R., Tuneu, C. M., Waite, S., Sarma, S., Branjerdporn, G., Zeng, Y., Dong, V., Loo, C., & Martin, D. | Understanding the effects of demographic, clinical and treatment factors on recovery of orientation after ECT: A CARE Network Study | 2025 | CARE Network | Brain Stimulation | Link |
| Barreiros, A. R., Tuneu, C. M., Zeng, C., Waite, S., Sarma, S., Branjerdporn, G., Dong, V., Loo, C., & Martin, D. | Understanding the Effects of Demographic, Clinical and Treatment Factors on Recovery of Orientation After Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Care Network Study | 2024 | CARE Network | Biological Psychiatry | Link |
| Dhamidhu Eratne, Matthew, Lewis, C., Dang, C., Malpas, C. B., Keem, M., Grewal, J., Marinov, V., Coe, A., Cath Kaylor‐Hughes, Borchard, T., Chhoa Keng‐Hong, Waxmann, A., Burcu Saglam, Kalincik, T., Kanaan, R., Kelso, W., Evans, A., Farrand, S., & Loi, S. | Plasma and CSF neurofilament light chain distinguish neurodegenerative from primary psychiatric conditions in a clinical setting. | 2024 | MiND Study | Alzheimer's & Dementia | Link |
| Dong, V., Brettell, L., Massaneda-Tuneu, C., Rita Barreiros, A., Vinh Cao, T., Kelly, C., Zeng, Y., Aoki, N., Tor, P.-C., Bayes, A., Branjerdporn, G., Sarma, S., Kwan, E., Waite, S., Mohan, T., Hussain, S., Gálvez, V., Weiss, A., Bull, M., & Lou Chatterton, M. | Facilitating routine data collection to improve clinical quality and research in Interventional Psychiatry: The CARE Network. | 2024 | CARE Network | The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry | Link |
| Harvey, A. J., Madden, S., Rodgers, A., Bull, M., Mary Lou Chatterton, Dusan Hadzi-Pavlovic, Loo, C. K., & Martin, D. M. | Randomised controlled trial of neurostimulation for symptoms of anorexia nervosa (TRENA study): study protocol. | 2023 | TRENA Trial | Journal of Eating Disorders | Link |
| Loo, C., Barreiros, A. R., & Martin, D. | New Approaches to ECT: Novel and Alternative Electrode Placements. | 2025 | RAFT Trial | Brain Stimulation | Link |
| Loo, C., Barreiros, A. R., Martin, D., Dong, V., George, M. S., McCall, W. V., Sarma, S., Hopwood, M., Weiss, A., Bull, M., Tuneu, C. M., Alonzo, A., Dusan Hadzi-Pavlovic, Rodgers, A., Sahlem, G. L., Harvey, A. J., Haldane, K., Brettell, L., Fitzgerald, P. B., & Dokos, S. | A Randomized Controlled Trial of Ultrabrief Right Unilateral ECT With Frontoparietal Versus Temporoparietal Electrode Placement for Severe Depression—The RAFT ECT Trial | 2024 | RAFT Trial | The Journal of ECT | Link |
| Martin, D. M., Tor, P. C., Waite, S., Mohan, T., Davidson, D., Sarma, S., Branjerdporn, G., Dong, V., Kwan, E., & Loo, C. K. | The utility of the brief ECT cognitive screen (BECS) for early prediction of cognitive adverse effects from ECT: A CARE network study. | 2022 | CARE Network | Journal of Psychiatric Research | Link |
| Sarma, S., Zeng, Y., Barreiros, A. R., Dong, V., Massaneda-Tuneu, C., Cao, T. V., Waite, S., McCosker, L., Branjerdporn, G., Loo, C., & Martin, D. | Clinical outcomes of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for depression in older old people (≥80 years) compared with other age groups across the adult lifespan: A CARE Network study | 2024 | CARE Network | Brain Stimulation | Link |
| Tor, P.-C., Barreiros, A. R., Cao, T. V., Dong, V., Brettell, L., Tuneu, C. M., Galvez, V., Waite, S., Sarma, S., Branjerdporn, G., Chatterton, M. L., Mohan, T., Hussain, S., Martin, D., & Loo, C. | Why You Should Collect Routine Clinical Data for ECT. | 2024 | CARE Network | Journal of ECT | Link |
| Waite, S., Tor, P. C., Mohan, T., Davidson, D., Hussain, S., Dong, V., Loo, C. K., & Martin, D. M. | The utility of the Sydney Melancholia Prototype Index (SMPI) for predicting response to electroconvulsive therapy in depression: A CARE Network study. | 2022 | CARE Network | Journal of Psychiatric Research | Link |