JE OrrUC San Diego profile

Physician-scientist · Clinical investigator

Advancing respiratory medicine.

I connect respiratory physiology, clinical trials, and digital health to develop and evaluate better treatments for sleep-disordered breathing and respiratory failure.

NIH-funded research. Clinical program leadership. Collaboration across academia and industry.

Research & funding Discuss a collaboration

Jeremy E. Orr, MDAssociate Professor of Medicine · UC San DiegoBoard-certified in Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine

Research themes

From mechanisms to new treatments and better care.

My work spans the biology of breathing, therapeutic development, and the delivery of respiratory care. Across these areas, I study what drives individual differences in disease and how those differences can guide treatment.

01

Respiratory physiology & precision medicine

Understanding why breathing disorders differ across patients, and how respiratory control, upper airway function, and cardiopulmonary disease shape treatment response.

Sleep apnea · Hypoventilation · Cardiopulmonary physiology

02

Therapeutics & respiratory safety

Investigating the respiratory effects of opioids and evaluating pharmacological and device-based treatments through mechanistic studies and randomized clinical trials.

Drug development · Opioids · Treatment response

03

Respiratory failure & assisted ventilation

Improving noninvasive ventilation and long-term respiratory care for people with neuromuscular disease, COPD, and other causes of chronic respiratory failure.

Home ventilation · Neuromuscular disease · Clinical outcomes

04

Digital health & physiological data

Combining physiological signals, remote monitoring, and machine learning to characterize disease, evaluate treatment, and support care beyond the clinic.

Digital biomarkers · Remote sensing · Predictive models

Grants & research support

A sustained program of NIH-funded investigation.

Support from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the American Thoracic Society Foundation has enabled research in respiratory mechanisms, treatment, and patient outcomes.

Current award · NIH / NHLBI

R01HL179220

August 2026–April 2031

Principal Investigator

Determinants of ventilatory instability and sleep-disordered breathing with chronic use of opioids

Investigating how genetics, opioid dose, and other exposures contribute to respiratory instability and sleep-disordered breathing, with the goal of identifying opportunities for more individualized treatment.

Selected prior support

NIH / NHLBI

K23 HL1518802021–2026

The impact of sleep-disordered breathing in people who use opioids

Principal Investigator

American Thoracic Society Foundation

Research award2018–2020

Impact of noninvasive ventilation on cardiovascular biomarkers in COPD

Principal Investigator

NIH / NHLBI

R01 HL1421142018–2022

Obstructive sleep apnea endotypes and their clinical impact in people living with HIV

Co-Investigator

NIH / NHLBI

F32 fellowship2016–2018

Ventilatory instability and sleep-disordered breathing in pulmonary hypertension

Principal Investigator

Additional NIH support has included T32 research training and the Loan Repayment Program.

Selected publications

Contributions across respiratory science and medicine.

Full publication record
2026PAIN

Original research · First author

Chronic pain is associated with sleep apnea severity but attenuated by intermittent hypoxemia in people using opioids

Examines the relationships among sleep apnea, oxygenation, and chronic pain in people taking opioids.

2025Annals of the American Thoracic Society

Randomized clinical trial · Coauthor

Combination Drug Therapy with Acetazolamide, Eszopiclone ± Venlafaxine for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (RESCUE-Combo): A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial

Evaluates a combination pharmacotherapy approach to obstructive sleep apnea.

2024SLEEP

Mechanistic research · First author

Pathogenesis of sleep-disordered breathing in the setting of opioid use: a multiple mediation analysis using physiology

Links opioid exposure to distinct physiological pathways underlying central apnea and hypoxemia.

2021American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

Official ATS research statement · First author

Research Priorities for Patients with Heart Failure and Central Sleep Apnea. An Official American Thoracic Society Research Statement

Defines a research agenda for mechanisms, clinical consequences, and treatment of central sleep apnea in heart failure.

2015The Lancet Respiratory Medicine

Review · Coauthor

On the cutting edge of obstructive sleep apnoea: where next?

Examines emerging directions in sleep apnea biology, diagnosis, and individualized treatment.

2025Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

Prediction modeling · Senior author

The combination of physiology and machine learning for prediction of CPAP pressure and residual AHI in OSA

Combines physiological measures with machine learning to predict treatment requirements and residual disease.

2023ERJ Open Research

Remote monitoring research · First author

Effectiveness of long-term noninvasive ventilation measured by remote monitoring in neuromuscular disease

Uses longitudinal ventilator data to assess treatment effectiveness in neuromuscular respiratory failure.

Clinical trials & industry collaboration

Experience evaluating drugs, devices, and digital tools.

I bring physiological investigation and hands-on clinical expertise to study design, treatment evaluation, and interpretation of patient outcomes, with experience as a principal investigator, site PI, and co-investigator.

Clinical leadership

Building programs around complex respiratory needs.

I founded UC San Diego’s Pulmonary Neuromuscular & Assisted Ventilation (NVENT) Program in 2019. The program now follows more than 400 patients and combines multidisciplinary care, home ventilation, telemedicine, and remote device monitoring.

I also co-founded the Multidisciplinary Neuromuscular Disorders Clinic in 2016 and became Medical Director of Pulmonary Rehabilitation in 2025. My clinical work spans intensive care, complex sleep-disordered breathing, and long-term respiratory support.

Explore the NVENT Program

Open scientific tools

Making respiratory models accessible.

I develop interactive tools that make physiological models easier to explore, test, and teach. Source code and active projects are available through GitHub.

View GitHub profile
Current GitHub projectsOpen project portfolio ↗

Connect

Research partnerships and scientific leadership.

I welcome conversations with academic investigators, biotechnology and medical device teams, and digital health companies about research partnerships, clinical studies, and scientific advisory work.

For professional and leadership opportunities, or prospective trainee inquiries, please get in touch directly.

j1orr@health.ucsd.edu
Email Jeremy Orr UC San Diego profile