Richard  Huntsman, MD, FRCP(C), CSCN (EEG)

Background and Education

Dr. Huntsman is an Associate Professor and Pediatric Neurologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is the medical director of the EEG lab at the IWK Health Centre. Dr. Huntsman completed his medical school and residency in General Pediatrics at Memorial University of Newfoundland. This was followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Neurology at the University of Alberta. Prior to moving to join the Division of Pediatric Neurology at the IWK, he worked at the University of Saskatchewan for 18 years. While his practice encompasses the wide spectrum of Pediatric Neurology, his clinical and research interests include pediatric epilepsy, the neurodegenerative disorders of childhood and furthering our understanding of the use of cannabinoids for children with neurological disease. He designed and was the lead investigator for the Cannabidiol in Children with Refractory Epileptic Encephalopathy (CARE-E) study and was co-Chair of the Health Canada Scientific Advisory Committee on Health Products Containing Cannabis.

Areas of Interest

• Pediatric Neurology
• Pediatric Epilepsy
• Therapeutic use of Cannabinoids in Pediatric Neurology
• Neurometabolic and Neurodegenerative Disorders of Childhood

Selected Publications

• Chhabra M, Ben-Eltriki M, Mansell H, Le M-L, Huntsman RJ, Finkelstein Y, Kelly LE. Cannabinoids used for medical purposes in children and adolescents: A Systematic review and meta-Analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 2024;178(11):1124-113. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.3045
• Huntsman RJ, Elliott J, Lewis E, Moore-Hepburn C, Alcorn J, Mansell H, et al. Removing Barriers to Accessing Medical Cannabis for Paediatric Patients. Paed Child Health-Can. 2024;29(1):12-16. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxac129
• Brown P, Huntsman RJ, Bryant P, Caulkett N, Fitzcharles MA, Hurnik D, Le Foll B, Mathews KA. Review of Cannabidiol: Report of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Health Products Containing Cannabis. Health Canada. July 2022
• Huntsman RJ, Kelly LE, Alcorn J, et al. Improving the regulation of medical cannabis in Canada to better serve pediatric patients. CMAJ. 2021;193:E1596-E1599. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.202169
• Huntsman RJ, Tang-Wai R, Alcorn J, Vuong S, Acton B, Corley S, LaPrairie R, Lyon A, Meier S, Mousseau DD, Newmeyer D, Prosser-Loose E, Seifert B, Tellez-Zenteno J, Huh L, Leung E, Major P. Dosage related Efficacy and Tolerability of Cannabidiol in Children with Treatment-resistant Epileptic Encephalopathy: Preliminary Results of the CARE-E Study. Front Neurol. July 2019; doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2019.00716
• For a complete list of Dr. Huntsman's Publications please visit: Google Scholar Profile

Selected Awards and Recognitions

• Dalhousie University Pediatrics Residency Program Silver Spoon Award (2025)
• Nominated for IWK Consulting Physician Professionalism Award (2025)
• Clinical Teacher of the Year. Awarded by the University of Saskatchewan Medical School graduating class (2014)