David Gardner, PharmD, MSc

Related information

• Sleepwell
• Bloom Program
• Effect Size Illustrator

Education

BSc Pharmacy (University of Toronto)
MSc Community Health and Epidemiology (Dalhousie University)
PharmD (University of British Columbia)

Research interests

Dr. David Gardner is a Professor and the Community Psychiatry Research Director with the Department of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University, and a member of the Canadian Sleep Research Consortium. He also serves as an executive member of the Canadian Medication Appropriateness and Deprescribing Network.

With training in pharmacy, community health, and epidemiology from the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, and Dalhousie University, Dr. Gardner’s work focuses on improving mental health care through research, education, and implementation. He is co-developer of the Sleepwell research and knowledge mobilization program, which promotes evidence-based approaches to managing insomnia and reducing reliance on sedative medications. He is also co-developer of the Bloom Program, a province-wide community pharmacy–based service that supports people living with mental illness and addictions through enhanced pharmacist services and collaborative care. His research spans insomnia management, pharmacoepidemiology, psychotropic medication appropriate use and safety, and the enhancement of community-based mental health services.

In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Gardner was named by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) as one of Canada’s 150 Difference Makers in Mental Health. In 2024, he received the Award of Excellence in Education from Dalhousie’s Faculty of Medicine.

Selected publications  

• Davidson JR, Gardner D, Fretz K, Lynch S, Watson S, Desmarais E, Sloan E, Leung C, on behalf of the Canadian Sleep Research Consortium. Boosting access to evidence-based insomnia care: our experience with a stepped care approach in Canada. Transl Behav Med. 2025;15(1):ibaf032. doi:10.1093/tbm/ibaf032
• Lake RC, Tucker RE, Murphy AL, Pencer A, Kruglova K, Gardner DM. A scoping review of self-help cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. Sleep Med Rev. 2025;79:102021. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2024.102021
• Murphy AL, Sawires K, Peltekian SM, Helwig M, Macdonald M, Martin-Misener R, Saini B, Neyedli H, Giacomantonio C, Gardner DM. A scoping review of motor vehicle operator performance assessments for benzodiazepine receptor agonists. Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm. 2024;16:100538. doi:10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100538
• Gardner DM, Turner JM, Magalhaes S, Rajda M, Murphy AL. Patient self-guided interventions to reduce sedative use and improve sleep: the YAWNS NB randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2024. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.2731
• McAdam MK, Baldessarini RJ, Murphy AL, Gardner DM. Second international consensus study of antipsychotic dosing (ICSAD-2). J Psychopharmacol. 2023;37(10):982-991. doi:10.1177/02698811231205688
• Murphy AL, O’Reilly C, Ataya R, Doucette S, Burge F, Salvador-Carulla L, Chen T, Himmelman D, Kutcher S, Martin-Misener R, Rosen A, Gardner DM. A survey of Australian and Canadian community pharmacists’ experiences with people at risk of suicide. Psychiatr Serv. 2019. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201900244
• Murphy AL, Gardner DM, Jacobs LM. The patient experience in a community pharmacy mental illness and addictions program. Can Pharm J. 2019;152(3):186-192.

Selected Awards and Honours

• 2024 – Award of Excellence in Education, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University (June 2024).
• 2023 – Outstanding Advocate Award, Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia (with Dr. Andrea Murphy) (October 3, 2023).
• 2017 – CAMH Difference Maker: 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation, Toronto, ON (November 2017).
• 2012 – Canadian Pharmacist of the Year Award, Canadian Pharmacists Association, National Conference, Whistler, BC (June 2, 2012).
• 2009 – AFPC National Award for Excellence in Education, Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada.