1-24-23
William C. Orr, Ph.D., is Clinical Professor of Medicine, at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, and President Emeritus and Founding Board Member of the Lynn Health Science Institute in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Dr. Orr has published extensively on a variety of topics in sleep medicine and esophageal disease. He is invited to speak on these topics to medical groups both nationally and internationally, and has served on numerous pharmaceutical advisory boards. He was among the first investigators to identify and describe the sleep apnea syndrome and the effect of sleep on gastroesophageal reflux, both of which remain areas of clinical and research interest.
Educated at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he earned an MA and Ph.D., Dr. Orr served at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, DC from 1969-1972. These were followed by positions at The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center,, at Presbyterian Hospital as the Director of the Department of Clinical Physiology and at Baptist Medical Center of Oklahoma as Director of Research all in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Dr. Orr has served on the Board of Directors of the National Sleep Foundation and the Educational Affairs Committee of the American College of Gastroenterology. He has served on the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee of the Oklahoma Alzheimer’s Association.
In addition, he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine, and a Fellow in the American Gastroenterology Association. He has been awarded recognition as a “Significant Early Contributor to Modern Sleep Medicine” by the Sleep Research Society. He received a service award from the National Sleep Foundation in 2006 and a Leadership in Clinical Research Award in 2014.
Chair of the Day
Dr. W.H. “Bud” Oehlert obtained his bachelor of chemistry from Southern Illinois University, his Medical Degree from Washington University in St. Louis, his Cardiology Fellowship from the University of Iowa, and his Masters’s in Medical Management from Tulane University.
While now retired, Bud is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, medical management, and pacing and electrophysiology and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and American College of Physicians.
Throughout his medical career, he served in many roles including as medical director for several entities and as clinical professor of Medicine at OU Health Sciences Center.
Bud is the Past President of the Oklahoma County Medical Society, Past President of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, and Past President of the Oklahoma Heart Association. He currently serves on the board of directors for Oklahoma Blood Institute, OSMA Health, and chair of their Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committee, and serves on several other boards and councils.
A few fun facts about Bud include that he was the Captain and Coach for the University of Iowa Rugby Team and played international rugby.