Dr. William Orr, “Billy,” was born and raised in Athens, Georgia, home of the University of Georgia Bulldogs, actress Kim Basinger, actor Jeff Daniels, and the bands R.E.M., Widespread Panic and the B-52s.  He is the son of Dr. William Orr, a practicing Psychiatrist, and Victoria, a former nurse.  His parents met while his father was completing his residency in West Virginia.  Years later, his father convinced his mother to move to his home state, where he would eventually create and manage his own practice.  There, his parents would complete his family to include his older sister and younger brother.

Growing up, Billy always had a strong interest in being a physician.  He was part of a very active family where he first fell in love with the outdoors and an energetic lifestyle.  He also grew up a die-hard Georgia Bulldog fan, which is where his post high school education started.  After completing a bachelor’s of science in Genetics at the University of Georgia, Dr. Orr matriculated to the Medical College of Georgia where he first met his wife, Andrea.

With a fun and young-hearted personality, Dr. Orr stayed true to himself and never dropped his childhood nickname, Billy.  His wife, Andrea helped him recognize his passion, and he finally decided to follow his Grandfather’s footsteps.  His Grandfather, you guessed it…Dr. William Orr, was a pediatrician in Macon, Georgia for over 50 years.  Although he is no longer practicing medicine, he is still alive and active at the age of 96.

After graduating medical school, he and his wife couples-matched into the pediatric residency at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.  After completing residency, his wife joined Northwest Pediatrics, and is a local practicing pediatrician.

Billy continued his training in the field of Pediatric cardiology. During fellowship, he and his wife started a family of their own with identical twin boys, Liam and Leo, who are now 2.5 years old.  Dr. Orr’s strong upbringing in an active lifestyle intrigued his clinical interest in exercise physiology.  After fellowship, Dr. Orr stayed on as clinical faculty with many roles and aspirations.  He spends most of his clinical time working as an inpatient pediatric cardiac hospitalist, working with a remarkable and hard-working team to continuously improve the Heart Center for patients, their families, and those who work there.  Staying at Washington University has given him the opportunity to develop and explore his interest in exercise physiology by growing the exercise lab and the pediatric exercise testing program.  Paralleling his clinical interest, he is also an advocate for expanding educational opportunities for all trainees, and is currently the Associate Director for the fellowship program.

Outside of work, Billy enjoys playing with his sons, and exploring St. Louis with his family.  He enjoys running, and a new found hobby of DIY projects around the house.