Contact Information
East Carolina University
Departments of Psychology and Cardiovascular Sciences
215 Rawl Hall
Greenville, North Carolina 27858-4353
Phone: (252) 328-6118
Clinical referrals: (252) 744-4400
Fax: (252) 328-6283
Email:
Education & Academic Background
Ph.D. - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (1995)
Major: Clinical and Health Psychology
Minor: Medical Psychology
Residency - University of Mississippi Medical Center/Veterans Affairs (1994-95); Medical Center Consortium, Jackson, MS
M.S. - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (1992)
Major: Clinical and Health Psychology
B.S. - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (1990)
Major: Psychology
Current Research
Dr. Sears is currently overseeing many research projects conducted at East Carolina University and other universities around the country. These multi-disciplinary studies are examining topics such as:
- The Effects of Brief Peri-Operative ICD Patient Education
- Pros and Cons of Receiving an ICD
- Psychosocial Adjustment of Young ICD Patients
- Acute Patient Response to ICD Shocks
- Sleep Quality and ICD Patients
- Post-traumatic Stress and Cardiac Patients
- Activities and Avoidance Behaviors in ICD Patients
- Quality of Life in Cardiac Surgery Patients
In the Spotlight
In March 2010, Dr. Sears returns to Tilburg University, Netherlands, to present on "Overcoming the Shock of the ICD". To view the entire program, click here.
Dr. Samuel Sears provides keynote lecture - Dr. Sears, ECU Professor, Departments of Psychology and Cardiovascular Sciences, was invited to provide a keynote lecture to the First Nordic Symposium on Psychological Aspects of ICD Treatment in Lund, Swede in December, 2009. Dr. Sears addressed the state of the art approaches and research on the psychological and behavioral aspects of living with cardiac arrhythmias and implantable cardioverter defibrillators.
Sears Researches Psychological Care for Heart Patients - Dr. Sears was featured in the October Edition of East Carolina University's Pieces of Eight Faculty and Staff Newspaper." The article highlights Dr. Sears contributions to the care of cardiovascular patients. To read the entire article, click here.
The ICD Stress and Shock Management Program: Interview with Dr. Sam Sears, Jr., Ph.D. - Dr. Sears and colleagues (2007) recently published an article titled The ICD Stress and Shock Management Program:A Randomized Trial of Psychosocial Treatment to Optimize Quality of Life in ICD Patients, which demonstrated that structured interventions for shocked ICD patients involving education and cognitive- behavioral strategies reduced the psychological distress and improved the quality of life of these patients. EP Lab Digest recently interviewed Dr. Sears in regards to his work and this article. To read this interview, click here.
