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Stephen Sears, MD

Epidemiologist & Maine CDC Clinical Advisor -- COVID-19 Response Team


Dr. Stephen Sears joined the COVID-19 response team at the Maine CDC as a Clinical Advisor in March 2020.  Prior to that Dr Sears was the Chief of Staff at VA Maine Health System from 2014-2019. From 2009 to 2014 Dr. Stephen Sears was the State of Maine Epidemiologist .   He also has experience in Health System planning having been Vice President for Medical Administration and Chief Quality Officer at Mercy Hospital from 2007 to 2010. Prior to that, he was the Chief Medical Officer at MaineGeneralHealth from 1988 to 2007.  During this time, he was also a practicing infectious disease clinician. Dr. Sears completed an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkley; a Doctor of Medicine from Dartmouth Medical School; Internship and Residency at UCLA Harbor General Hospital; a Fellowship in Infectious Disease at the University of Maryland; and a Masters in Public Health at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Hygiene. Over the last 20 years, Dr. Sears has been very active in the public health challenges in the State of Maine.  He has been a tuberculosis consultant, active in emergency preparedness, and a member of numerous task forces and commissions for infectious and chronic disease epidemiology for the State of Maine.  He has also been active on several non-profit boards, including the Maine Center for Public Health, the American Lung Association and the American Diabetes Association.  He has won many awards, including the Koch Award for outstanding contributions to reporting, monitoring, prevention and control of tuberculosis in Maine (2007); and recognition as one of the top 25 most influential people in the fight against tobacco in the previous 25 years (2002) by the American Cancer Society, New England Chapter. Dr. Sears and his wife, Cathy, have three children:  a daughter in graduate school at Cornell, a son working as a production designer in Boston and another son a junior in college in Florida.  Dr. and Mrs. Sears reside in Belgrade with their cat, a canoe and two kayaks.

Dr. Sears has no disclosures.