Dr. Sears is currently a Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Cardiovascular Sciences at East Carolina University. He also serves as the Director of Health Psychology. Dr. Sears is a nationally recognized expert in the psychological care and quality of life outcomes of patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) and has published over 100 articles in the medicine and psychology research literature on the psychological aspects of cardiology.
Dr. Sears received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in clinical health psychology from the University of Florida. He served on the faculty at the University of Florida for 12 years before joining the faculty at East Carolina University in 2007. His co-authored ICD specific quality of life measure (Florida Patient Acceptance Survey) and shock anxiety measure (Florida Shock Acceptance Survey) are now the most widely used scales in the area. Dr. Sears continues to practice and teach health psychology in cardiology clinics at the East Carolina Heart Institute in Greenville, NC. He is also a frequent speaker at ICD support groups and medical education seminars around the country and the world. He is a regular expert guest on the national PBS medical show, Second Opinion, appearing in each of the last three seasons. Dr. Sears recently founded an East Carolina University company called Quality of Life Applications, Inc. which will produce the first ever mobile phone application for ICD patients called, “ICD Coach.” Dr. Sears credits his training, experiences, and efforts from the faculty and students of the University of Florida as key to his ultimate success.