Clinical Trials
Neurology & Psychiatry
She thought Parkinson's would take away her work.
She just designed the fall line.
That is what drives us. Experience, Rho.


When it comes to Neurological and Psychiatric clinical trials, history would have us believe the future is going to be mired in more of the same – failure.
Over the past decade, 99% of Alzheimer’s drug trials have failed and the likelihood of approval in neuropsychiatry indications is barely 6%. And with nearly a quarter of all Americans having at least one CNS disorder and the majority of effective treatments dating back to the 1950s, the need for better CNS disease research solutions is clear.
The way we see it, past failure isn’t a problem. It’s an opportunity.
An opportunity to ask ‘why?’ When history tells us that participant compliance is one of the biggest challenges to the success of any CNS clinical trial, we listen, learn, and adapt.
An opportunity to improve participant retention and study adherence by creating a trial experience that’s adaptable and as smooth as possible. By incorporating patient and caregiver needs and concerns into the initial study design process, as well as decentralized clinical trial needs, we are able to mitigate and minimize their burden before it becomes a problem – ensuring participants are fully engaged at each and every stage of the CNS trial process.
An opportunity to unite our team of experts. With over 130 years of central nervous system experience including more than 330 clinical studies, 3,000 sites and 70,000 patients, no matter what challenges may arise during the development of your drug … our team of experts stand ready to utilize their learnings to enhance the success of your drug development program.
An opportunity to utilize the past to advance our future. Our cross-functional collaborative approach allows us to identify challenges earlier, de-risk your development strategy, and eliminate the missteps and delays often caused by silos and handoffs – ultimately ensuring a consistent program that’s flexible and runs smarter and more efficiently.
An opportunity to set a higher standard for neuroscience research by overcoming past challenges and accelerating the patient path to relief and your path to approval.
And the perfect opportunity to do what we do best – create a better experience for our partners within their CNS therapy area.
Together, let’s build upon the shoulders of those brave enough to dare before us and deliver the long-awaited hope to the millions that are counting on us. We proudly invite you to experience Rho.

Find out how a decentralized trial can help you start or continue clinical programs during COVID-19.
Why Choose Rho?
- More than a dozen articles in the area of CNS clinical research in prestigious peer-reviewed journals, including The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), The Lancet Neurology, The Journal of Pediatric Psychology, and The Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.
- An outstanding track record starting up and executing CNS clinical trials
- Excellent relationships with successful sites that will help you meet your enrollment goals
- Expertise managing and distributing Schedule II drugs
- Experience at FDA meetings handling missing data problems—a common issue in CNS trials because of study dropouts and missed assessment
Several successful 505(b)(1) submissions
3 recent 505(b)(2) submissions
Neurology & Psychiatry Expertise
350+
CNS clinical studies
3,000+
clinical sites
70,000+
patients
Indications Expertise
-
Commonly used scales expertise
- Depression rating scales (HAM-D, MADRS, BDI)
- Suicide rating scales (C-SSRS, STS)
- Bipolar & schizophrenia scales (BPRS, YMRS, PANSS, SAPS/SANS)
- Quality of life scales (Q-LES-Q)
- Anxiety rating scales (e.g. HAM-A, STAI, Y-BOCS)
- Cognitive rating scales (ADAS-cog, BLS-D, MMSE)
- Rating scales for children (CBCL, SKAMP, CRS)
- Diagnostic scales (e.g., DIS, SCID, MINI)
-
Neurology and Psychiatry indications expertise
- ADHD, including analog classroom assessments
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Schizophrenia
- Acute pain
- Chronic pain
- Opioid addiction
- Autism
- Bipolar disorder
- Seizures, including epilepsy
- Parkinson’s disease
- Stroke
- Narcolepsy
- Mild cognitive impairment
- Stimulant abuse
- Memory impairment
- Depression/major depressive disorder
- Spasticity
-
Psychiatric Disorder indications expertise
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- PTSD
- Depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Seasonal affective disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Childhood disorders including autism and autism spectrum disorders
- Alcohol/Substance Abuse/
- Addiction
I have been conducting mental health trials for over 20 years and my experience with Rho is phenomenal. Rho stands out far above other CROs as their teams are truly dedicated and committed to sites, understanding protocol complexities within mental health, and patient safety. With Rho, I have worked with the same CRA throughout a trial when industry norm is having 3-5 CRAs over the course of a trial. Rho CRAs have been very experienced and always responsive to study needs. I highly recommend Rho to any Sponsor.
Samantha Bostrom, MD/PI/Owner, The Focus Center for Clinical Research
Featured Experts

Jack Modell, M.D.
Vice President and Senior Medical Officer

Matt Healy
Vice President, Clinical Operations

Rob Woolson
Vice President, Regulatory Strategy & Biometrics

Ben Vaughn
Chief Strategist, Biostatistics & Protocol Design

Nancy Yovetich, Ph.D.
Principal Research Scientist

Brett Gordon
Executive Director, Project Delivery

Natalia Marder, M.D., Ph.D.
Project Director

Amy Goodykoontz
Senior Project Manager

Missy Lavinder
Senior Project Manager

Nancy Woody
Senior Project Manager
Success Stories
Planning your Parkinson’s Disease Clinical Trial
In this article, our experts share 5 critical things you must consider when planning your Parkinson’s Disease clinical trial.

Featured Content
Webinar
Understanding Common Causes of Failure in Depression Studies
The failure rate of clinical studies in depression is high, and placebo response is often blamed. In this webinar, Dr. Jack Modell, a board certified psychiatrist with more than 35 years of experience in clinical research and patient care, discusses why there is more to the story than placebo response. Additionally, Dr. Modell addresses steps that can be taken to avoid these pitfalls.
Watch webinar
Jack Modell, M.D.
Vice President and Senior Medical Officer
Services
-
Clinical Project Management
-
Clinical Monitoring and Operations
-
Global Reach
-
Risk-Based Quality Management
-
Medical Monitoring
-
Clinical Data Management
-
Clinical Biostatistics
-
Statistical Programming
-
Randomization and Trial Supply Management
-
Product Safety
-
Regulatory Operations
-
Medical Writing
-
Data Standards
-
Quality Assurance