2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 43
BY SENATORS WALSWORTH AND PEACOCK
A RESOLUTION
To commend Dr. A. Wayne Orr, Director of the Center of Excellence for Cardiovascular
Diseases and Sciences at Louisiana State University Health Sciences
Center-Shreveport, for his impact on cardiovascular disease.
WHEREAS, Dr. A. Wayne Orr has had great success in the securing of extramural
grant funding and the development of junior researchers in cardiovascular scientific
research; and
WHEREAS, LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S) continually
strives to increase its impact on the gravest health problems; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Orr has been acknowledged for his success in the tireless pursuit
of significant competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health to address
cardiovascular disease; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Orr currently serves as the principal investigator for three R01
grants totaling over $4 Million funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) and the National Institute of Digestive and Diabetes and Kidney Diseases
(NIDDK); and
WHEREAS, Dr. Orr is the first faculty member at LSUHSC-S to have three
concurrent R01 grants; the R01 grant is the historically oldest grant mechanism utilized by
the National Institutes of Health; and
WHEREAS, over the past twenty-one years, Dr. Orr's research has sought to
understand how local microenvironments affect vascular cells during pathological processes
such as atherosclerosis, angiogenesis, and ischemia-reperfusion injury; and
WHEREAS, findings from his laboratory have resulted in over fifty published
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manuscripts on the field of vascular cell biology, along with numerous papers published in
the area of redox biology and its related pathologies; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Orr also serves as a reviewer for more than thirty professional
journals and publications; and
WHEREAS, with these findings, Dr. Orr has identified the critical role of
extracellular matrix in the regulation of endothelial cell function, characterizing novel
signaling mechanisms and identifying specific receptors involved in this response; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Orr is actively involved with the American Heart Association
serving as a national reviewer for its Cell Biology III Study Section, as well as with the
Collaborative Science Awards; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Orr serves locally as an educator for Board of Directors of the North
Louisiana American Heart Association and as a mentor for recipients of the American Heart
Association pre-doctoral fellowship; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Orr has generously given of his time and knowledge in mentoring
over fifty medical and basic science students along with post-degree candidates, many of
which are on course for successful careers; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Orr serves as a professor in the Departments of Pathology and
Translational Pathobiology, Molecular and Cellular Physiology, and Cell Biology and
Anatomy; he also serves as director of the Division of Research in the Department of
Pathology and Translational Pathobiology; and
WHEREAS, the outstanding work of Dr. Orr brings national recognition to
LSUHSC-S through his active involvement in the North American Vascular Biology
Association, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, American
Society of Cell Biology, and as a charter member of the National Institutes of Health
Vascular Cell and Molecular Biology Study Section and Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and
Vascular Biology with service on its editorial board.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Dr. A. Wayne Orr, for his remarkable intellect and exceptional
dedication to the pursuit of treatments for cardiovascular diseases and for the enhancement
of the economy of North Louisiana through significant extramural grant funding.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Dr. A. Wayne Orr, Director of the Center of Excellence for Cardiovascular Diseases and
Sciences at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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