Robert William Sears, known as Dr. Bob, is an American pediatrician from Capistrano Beach, California, noted for his unorthodox and dangerous[2] views on childhood vaccination.
His proposals have enjoyed celebrity endorsement but are not supported by medical evidence and have contributed to dangerous under-vaccination in the national child population.
[12] His proposals are popular with parents who are influenced by incorrect information propagated by anti-vaccination activists who seek a "compromise" between embracing and avoiding vaccination.
[14] Sears has encouraged parents who choose not to vaccinate their children not to tell others of their decision, writing: "I also warn them not to share their fears with their neighbors, because if too many people avoid the MMR, we'll likely see the diseases increase significantly.
"[15] This position has been criticized as encouraging "free riding" on the herd immunity created by those who do vaccinate: "This is clearly immoral free-riding, it demonstrates a willingness to make unfair use of the contributions others have made to social cooperation.
Dorit Reiss rejects the podcast episodes as a source of medical information, as they "repeat anti-vaccine talking points, overstate vaccine risks and understate the benefits".
He also writes that "Sears misleads parents," using "tactics [like] soft science, circular logic, reporting rumors and outright falsehoods".
[15] Peter Lipson, a physician who writes about the intersection of science and the media, states that "...Sears is a useful (although hardly unique) example of a dangerous doctor....
"[32] Lipson has also written that "The anti-vaccine movement has been driven by lay people such as Jenny McCarthy, and disgraced doctors such as Andrew Wakefield, the author of the fraudulent autism-vaccine paper.
Oliver also referred to Sears as an "Opportunist quack [sic] writing books that fan the flames of people's unfounded fears.
[39] Some doctors believe this accusation is a witch hunt, while others say that his alleged failure to use adequate documentation and appropriate follow-up care are legitimate concerns.
[40] On June 27, 2018, the Medical Board of California placed Sears on 35 months of probation after he settled a case in which the Medical Board accused him of writing a doctor's note exempting a two-year-old child from vaccinations without obtaining the basic information necessary for decision making prior to excluding the possibility of future vaccines, leaving the patient and his mother, as well as future contacts, at risk for preventable and communicable diseases.
[42] Sears denied wrongdoing, saying in a facebook post "Isn’t it my job to listen to my patients and believe what a parent says happened to her baby?
[43][7] Sears received his medical degree from Georgetown University in 1995 and completed his pediatric training at Children's Hospital Los Angeles in 1998.