John P. McGovern (physician)
Encyclopedia
John P. McGovern was an American allergist, investor
and philanthropist
. He established the McGovern Allergy Clinic in Houston, Texas
, created the Texas Allergy Research Foundation and the John P. McGovern Foundation and co-founded the American Osler Society.
in 1943 and received his M.D. from the Duke University School of Medicine in 1945.
He did post-graduate training at Yale-New Haven Hospital
, McGuire Hospital and at Duke. At Yale-New Haven Hospital, he was a pediatric intern from July 1945 to June 1946. Following this, he served from 1946 to 1948 in the Medical Corps
of the United States Army
as Captain and as the chief of the paraplegic section. Following his service in the Army, he was an assistant resident at Duke for 6 months. He then spent the first half of 1949 in a pediatric fellowship in England
and France
, at L'Hôpital des Enfants Malades
(Paris
) and at Guy's Hospital
and Great Ormond Street Hospital
(both in London
). Upon returning to the States, he served as assistant chief, then chief resident for another year and a half at Children's Hospital
in Washington, D.C.
. In 1951, he was a study of pulmonary pathology at Harvard Medical School
and Boston Children's Hospital.
A lifelong admirer of Sir William Osler
and the principals of compassionate care he espoused, McGovern co-founded the American Osler Society in 1969.
s.
McGovern was named as a fellow to various scientific and medical organizations including the American Association of Pediatrics (1952), the American Association of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (1955, Distinguished Fellow in 1971), American Medical Writers Association
(1967), American College of Physicians
(1971), the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(1972), Royal College of Physicians
(honorary, 1984) and the American Society of Addiction Medicine
(1998).
In 1976, McGovern was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Duke University.
Investor
An investor is a party that makes an investment into one or more categories of assets --- equity, debt securities, real estate, currency, commodity, derivatives such as put and call options, etc...
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He established the McGovern Allergy Clinic in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, created the Texas Allergy Research Foundation and the John P. McGovern Foundation and co-founded the American Osler Society.
Education
He received his B.S. in Medicine from Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in 1943 and received his M.D. from the Duke University School of Medicine in 1945.
He did post-graduate training at Yale-New Haven Hospital
Yale-New Haven Hospital
Yale-New Haven Hospital , Connecticut's largest hospital with 966 beds, is located in New Haven, Connecticut.The hospital is owned and operated by the Yale New Haven Health System, Inc...
, McGuire Hospital and at Duke. At Yale-New Haven Hospital, he was a pediatric intern from July 1945 to June 1946. Following this, he served from 1946 to 1948 in the Medical Corps
Medical Corps (United States Army)
The Medical Corps of the U.S. Army is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an MD or a DO degree, at least one year of post-graduate clinical training, and a state medical license.The MC traces its earliest origins...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
as Captain and as the chief of the paraplegic section. Following his service in the Army, he was an assistant resident at Duke for 6 months. He then spent the first half of 1949 in a pediatric fellowship in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, at L'Hôpital des Enfants Malades
Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital
The Hôpital Necker – Enfants Malades is a French teaching hospital, located in Paris, France. It is an hospital of the Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris group, and is affiliated to the University of Paris Descartes...
(Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) and at Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
and Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children is a children's hospital located in London, United Kingdom...
(both in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
). Upon returning to the States, he served as assistant chief, then chief resident for another year and a half at Children's Hospital
Children's National Medical Center
- Introduction :Children’s National Medical Center , is the only exclusive provider of pediatric care in the Washington, D.C., area and the only freestanding children’s hospital between Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Norfolk, and Atlanta...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. In 1951, he was a study of pulmonary pathology at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
and Boston Children's Hospital.
Philanthropy
In 1961, McGovern established the John P. McGovern Foundation as a private philanthropy. Through the Foundation, McGovern gave millions of dollars to various local and health charities. As of 2003, the foundation was the 10th largest in Houston.A lifelong admirer of Sir William Osler
William Osler
Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet was a physician. He was one of the "Big Four" founding professors at Johns Hopkins Hospital as the first Professor of Medicine and founder of the Medical Service there. Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet (July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a physician. He was...
and the principals of compassionate care he espoused, McGovern co-founded the American Osler Society in 1969.
Notable Contributions
- In 1998, the foundation gave $6.5M to establish the McGovern-Davison Children’s Health Center at Duke. The center was co-named for McGovern and his mentor, Wilburt Cornell Davison.
- In 2001, McGovern gave $5M to the University of Texas Medical BranchUniversity of Texas Medical BranchThe University of Texas Medical Branch is a component of the University of Texas System located in Galveston, Texas, United States, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Houston...
(UTMB) to create endowments for 5 William Osler Scholars, forming the John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine. The endowments award practicing faculty physicians for their commitment to teaching, practicing and emulating the principals of compassionate care. - In 2003, the Foundation gave $2.5M to UTMB, with $1M provided to create an endowment for a 6th Osler Scholar.
- Various donations to Texas Medical CenterTexas Medical CenterThe Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care, basic science, and translational research...
for the construction of facilities, a commons area and gardens.
Awards
McGovern is the recipient of 29 honorary degreeHonorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
s.
McGovern was named as a fellow to various scientific and medical organizations including the American Association of Pediatrics (1952), the American Association of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (1955, Distinguished Fellow in 1971), American Medical Writers Association
American Medical Writers Association
The American Medical Writers Association is the world's leading professional association for medical communicators. AMWA has more than 5,600 members in the United States, Canada, and 26 other countries. AMWA is governed by a board of directors composed of a 14-member executive committee and...
(1967), American College of Physicians
American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is a national organization of doctors of internal medicine —physicians who specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults. With 130,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in...
(1971), the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
(1972), Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
(honorary, 1984) and the American Society of Addiction Medicine
American Society of Addiction Medicine
The American Society of Addiction Medicine is a physician society with a focus on addiction and its treatment.- History :ASAM has its roots in research and clinical traditions that pre-date its founding in the early 1950s, when Ruth Fox, M.D. began regular meetings with other physicians interested...
(1998).
In 1976, McGovern was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Duke University.
Other Awards
- American School Health AssociationAmerican School Health AssociationThe American School Health Association is a professional association. It claims a membership of 2,000 members in 56 nations, more than half of whom practice in K-12 schools or administer health education or health services programs in school districts or state departments of education.Founded in...
Distinguished Alumnus Award and the William A. Howe Award - President Reagan'Ronald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
Private Sector Initiative Commendation (1985) - The Harold Swanberg Distinguished Service Award and the Special Award for Meritorious Service from the American Medical Writers AssociationAmerican Medical Writers AssociationThe American Medical Writers Association is the world's leading professional association for medical communicators. AMWA has more than 5,600 members in the United States, Canada, and 26 other countries. AMWA is governed by a board of directors composed of a 14-member executive committee and...
- Surgeon General'sC. Everett KoopCharles Everett Koop, MD is an American pediatric surgeon and public health administrator. He was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and served as thirteenth Surgeon General of the United States under President Ronald Reagan from 1982 to 1989.-Early years:Koop was born...
Medal in 1989 for "lifetime of meritorious and multi-faceted contributions to the broad field of health promotion and disease prevention and specifically, more recently for his seminal work on our Drunk Driving Initiative". - Distinguished Service Award from the International Council on Alcohol and Addiction (ICAA)
- Royal Order of the Polar StarOrder of the Polar StarThe Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....
(SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
) in 1988 - L'Ordre National du Merite (France) in 1988
- Kemal Ataturk Gold Medal Distinguished Service Award (TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
) in 1989 - Annual Outstanding Scholarship in Health Care Award from the American Association of Colleges of Nurses in 1990
- Outstanding Alumnus Award from Phi Beta Kappa in 1991
- First Honorary Partner, Points of Light Campaign
- Distinguished Citizen Award from the Rotary Club of Houston in 2001
- Houston Hall of Fame (2003)
- Presidents Award from the Texas Association of Museums (2003)
- First recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Lung Association of Texas (2004)
Honours Awarded in His Name
- John P. McGovern Award in Behavioral Sciences (Lecture) (AAASAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
). - John P. McGovern Science and Society Award, Sigma XiSigma XiSigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
. - John P. McGovern Centennial Award
- John P. McGovern Award in Science, Literature, Arts and the Humanities - Cosmos Club (Lecture)
External links
- John P. McGovern Texas Medical Center Commons
- John P. McGovern Childrens Zoo at the Houston ZooHouston ZooThe Houston Zoo is a zoological park located within Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. Housing over 6,000 animals belonging to over 900 species, the zoo receives 1.6 million visitors each year and is the seventh most visited zoo in the nation...
- McGovern Allergy and Asthma Clinic