Shelly Orr

Shelly Orr, PhD, RN, CCRP, serves a three-year term as a director on the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Board of Directors from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

Orr serves as director of clinical research operations at VCU Health, Richmond, Virginia. In this role, she directs and manages clinical research operations enterprise-wide. She provides oversight of strategic initiatives related to operationalizing clinical research, developing the clinical research service line for VCU Health, and facilitating the integration of research in clinical care for all clinical areas. Her own research focuses on the quality of dying and death for adult ICU patients. She also has an affiliate faculty position at VCU C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research.

An AACN ambassador since 2018, Orr was a member of the AACN – AACN Certification Corporation Nominating Committee in 2024. She is also a member of the Greater Richmond Area Chapter. Additional affiliations include the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, Association for Clinical and Translational Science, Society of Clinical Research Associates and the Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group.

She has published articles related to palliative withdrawal of mechanical ventilation, pulmonary-focused verticalization therapy, delivering end-of-life care, goals of care communication and interprofessional critical care simulations. Orr served as an investigator for funded research projects on weighted blankets to prevent delirium, pulmonary-focused verticalization therapy, in-home COVID-19 testing, delivering end-of-life care in the ICU, pain management for dying ICU patients and goals of care communication.

Her awards include VCU Health Year of the Nurse RN Excellence in Education Award, VCU School of Nursing Outstanding Faculty Award, The Daisy Faculty Award, Virginia Initiative for Palliative Care Scholar and Virginia Nurses Foundation 40 Under 40 Award.

Orr earned a PhD in nursing from Medical University of South Carolina, an MSN from Old Dominion University and a BS from Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds certification as a certified clinical research professional (CCRP).

In her free time, Orr loves vacationing with her family and spending time on their farm where they raise black angus beef cows.