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Dr. Jeff Orr counts himself fortunate that when he was 7, his family came to Tahoe from Chicago so that his father, Terry Orr, an orthopedic surgeon, could do a sports medicine fellowship here. The
family liked it here so much they decided to stay.
"Moving to Tahoe was the best thing that ever happened,” he said.
The Orr Family
Now an orthopedic surgeon himself at Barton Memorial Hospital, and part of the Tahoe Orthopedics and Sports Medicine physician group, the younger Dr. Orr is continuing his family’s legacy in our community alongside his sister, Targhee, an emergency medicine physician at Barton Health.
It was his plan all along.
“I went to school to become a sports medicine doctor and return to practice in Tahoe,” he said. “I’m thrilled to be here.”
Dr. Orr was an active kid who came by his sports affinity naturally. In addition to practicing general orthopedics, his dad was head physician for the U.S. Men’s Alpine Ski Team. His mom, Beachy Orr, grew up ski racing. Dr. Orr and his three siblings took to outdoor sports like soccer,
hiking, mountain biking—and yes, ski racing.
“Getting outside was the main thing I liked to do,” he said.
When it was time for Dr. Orr to head off to college, he briefly considered aerospace engineering as his major but soon changed his mind. “Orthopedics is medicine and engineering principles combined,” he said.
Dr. Orr received his medical doctorate from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He did his orthopedic surgery residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and completed his fellowship training at the University of South Florida. Fortunately for
us, he came back to Tahoe in 2017.
His father has since retired from practicing medicine, but Dr. Orr has taken up his mantle as a U.S. Men’s Ski Team physician. He travels with the team once a year and has visited Chile, Austria, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland with them. He also covers the team locally, during training, and serves as sports medicine physician
for the South Tahoe High School and Lake Tahoe Community College athletics.
Dr. Orr’s wife is a physician, too. Dr. Leah Krull is a rheumatologist for Barton Health. The couple met in medical school. They have two daughters—Lakey, who’s 4, and Kaia, who’s 20 months. The family enjoys hiking together and getting out in the snow.
“We got Lakey skiing when she was 2,” Dr. Orr said. “She’s a fast little skier. This winter we have Kaia skiing as well.”
If you’re getting the impression that Dr. Orr is a busy guy, you’re right. “It’s a little hectic sometimes, but it’s fun,” he said of all his many commitments.
Even so, Dr. Orr makes time to serve on the Barton Health Foundation Board of Trustees. When he finds a moment, he also likes to squeeze in an afternoon of mountain biking or a round of golf.
“What I really enjoy about being a physician is the in-depth interaction with patients and their situation, finding solutions and coming up with a solid game plan towards their recovery, ” he said. “Lake Tahoe is an active community, patients are motivated to get better to get back to the outdoor lifestyle. I am here to help them get back to the things they love to do.”
A family ski outing at Heavenly Mountain Resort
Dr. Orr and his two daughters - Lakey (4) and Kaia, (almost 2)