Patrick E. McGovern, MD, is a pediatric surgeon at Phoenix Children's. Dr. McGovern specializes in general pediatric, critical care and trauma surgery for children before birth through adolescence.

Dr. McGovern is proud to work at Phoenix Children's because of the supportive work environment and his colleagues' dedication to improving the lives of the children they treat.

After graduating cum laude with a degree in cell biology and neuroscience from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Dr. McGovern earned his medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. He completed his surgical residency at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, his Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital, and a pediatric surgery fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. McGovern is board certified in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA), and serves on the national APSA Surgical Critical Care, Trauma, and Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Committees. Dr. McGovern was also nominated to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society. In addition, he is the proud recipient of the American Pediatric Surgery Association M. Judah Folkman Memorial Award, as well as the International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society Vandenberghe-Storz Young Investigator Award.

Dr. McGovern has presented at national and international conferences including annual meetings of the Academic Surgical Congress, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American Pediatric Surgical Association. His peer-reviewed research has appeared in publications including The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the Journal of Pediatric Surgery and Nature Communications.

As a child, Dr. McGovern loved science and wanted to find a way to help others with that passion. His career in pediatric surgery has been the most rewarding and fulfilling way to live out that dream. He believes it is a privilege to care for our greatest gift - our children, and that patients and their families deserve the very best from their caregivers, no matter what challenges they face. Whether he's in the operating room or at the bedside, he is committed to helping each of his patients overcome their adversities to reach their full potential.

In his free time, Dr. McGovern often is in the kitchen with his family, cooking recipes handed down from his Nana, the best chef he knows. He also enjoys traveling, Nintendo, Star Wars, exercising, and running around with their family dog.