John P. McGovern


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.

Education

He received his B.S. in Medicine from Duke University 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. Then, 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.
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 and at Guy's Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Next, 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.

Career

After graduating from Duke University School of Medicine, McGovern taught at George Washington University Medical School and Tulane Medical School. He held 17 professorships, received 29 honorary doctorates, and authored over 250 professional publications and books. He was also the President and Chief Elect Officer of 15 professional medical societies.

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 and the principals of compassionate care he espoused, McGovern co-founded the American Osler Society in 1969.

Notable contributions

McGovern is the recipient of 29 honorary degrees.
McGovern was named as a fellow to various scientific and medical organizations including the American Association of Pediatrics, the American Association of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, American Medical Writers Association, American College of Physicians, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Royal College of Physicians and the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
In 1976, McGovern was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Duke University.

Other awards