Ramsay Clinic Northside
Research at Ramsay
Ramsay is proud to play a leading role in Australia’s health and medical research sector by driving research through the Ramsay Research & Development Network, the Ramsay Hospital Research Foundation, and our Research Ethics, and Governance Unit.
The Clinical Trials and Research Unit at Ramsay Clinic Northside is part of the Ramsay Research & Development Network that operates across 20+ Ramsay Health Care facilities throughout Australia. Our hospital actively encourages and supports clinical research as a key contributor to improved patient outcomes. We believe that providing early access to promising clinical trials is essential to delivering high-quality, leading-edge care, consistent with the standard of care at our hospital.
Conducting Research
Our hospital has a dedicated clinical trials & research unit that supports the conduct of research across all aspects of the hospital. Our site manager and the broader research team can provide advice on how to get involved.
Contact the Clinical Trials and Research Manager via email at JiK@ramsayhealth.com.au
All research conducted at Ramsay Clinic Northside requires local endorsement, as well as Ethics & Research Governance Approval. If you are interested in conducting research the following steps will need to be taken:
Step 1. Apply for Research Endorsement
This first step allows the hospital to review the proposed research and ensure that it is appropriate to be conducted at the hospital. This guarantees the researcher has confirmation early that the hospital is able to provide the necessary infrastructure, people or access that will be required and once approved, the research will be established seamlessly.
To apply for Research Endorsement, please use this form.
Once completed, applicants should email this form to JiK@ramsayhealth.com.au
This form should be completed by Principal Investigators, students, or nursing and allied health professionals and our internal research teams. Direct submission of this form from CROs or Industry Sponsors will not be accepted.
Step 2: Research Ethics
Ramsay will accept research ethics approvals from any NHMRC endorsed Human Research Ethics Committee, provided that committee is willing to oversee the research in Ramsay.
Ramsay also maintains a Human Research Ethics Committee who can assist where an applicant has not previously sought ethics approval. Further information about Ramsay’s processes can be found here.
Step 3: Research Governance
It is a requirement of Ramsay Health Care that all research applications receive research governance approval prior to any research commencing at the hospital.
Applications for Research Governance can be submitted through the REGGS platform.
All questions relating to Research Governance can be directed to the following email address: ResearchGovernance@ramsayhealth.com.au or call the Ramsay National Research Unit on (02) 9433 3854.
Participating in Research
If you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial, you may be eligible for one currently being conducted at Ramsay Clinic Northside as listed below. Please speak with your doctor to explore your options. If you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial, not offered at Ramsay Clinic Northside, your doctor may be able to help you find another trial appropriate for you. Alternatively, you can search for suitable clinical trials through the Australian Clinical Trials website or ClinTrial Refer.
For any inquiries, please contact Clinical Trials and Research Manager via email at JiK@ramsayhealth.com.au
What do clinical trials do?
Clinical trials are used to find out if a treatment or care:
 |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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. |
||||
| Eligibility Criteria (brief) |
|
||||
| Sponsor/Funding |
The George Institute (TGI) |
||||
| 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. |
||||
| Eligibility Criteria (brief) |
|
||||
| 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. |
||||
| Sponsor/Funding |
The University of Sydney |
||||
| 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. |
||||
| Sponsor/Funding |
Bristol Myers Squibb |
||||
| 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. |
||||
| Sponsor/Funding |
University of Newcastle For more information click eCliPSE |
||||
| 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. |
||||
| Sponsor/Funding | The George Institute (TGI) Click here to find out more |
||||
| 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. |
||||
| 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. |
||||
| Sponsor/Funding | Ramsay Health Research Foundation | ||||
Research and the Community
Ramsay Clinic Northside has stablished partnerships with non-for-profit and universities including
 |
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.
|
 |
InsideOut is Australia’s national institute for research, translation, and clinical excellence in eating disorders. https://insideoutinstitute.org.au/
|
 |
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.
|
 |
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.
|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |