Gerald Hanks
The John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science has become the latest affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. The Health Museum joins Space Center Houston as the second Houston-based facility to become a Smithsonian affiliate. The affiliate program allows more than 200 museums across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Panama to share exhibits typically housed at the Washington-based museum.
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Museum president and chief executive officer Dr. Melanie Johnson made the announcement at a press conference. She said that the affiliation with the Smithsonian will “take us up to a national level” and provide “intellectual and material” benefits for visitors.
She also said that the affiliate program will “give us the access to artifacts and objects that would help to shed light on some of the very unique things and very unique technologies and medical research that’s not available to Houstonians on a local level.”
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One of the “unique things” Dr. Johnson mentioned in the press conference is an exhibit on the human genetic structure. “Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code,” is an exhibit created in cooperation with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Other benefits of the affiliation include access to other exhibits, partnerships for grant applications, and guest speaking engagements from authors, scientists, and educators.
Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton also joined in the festivities. He described the Health Museum as “an exemplar of a modern museum, using technology to bring science and medicine to life” and that it “enhances our portfolio of affiliates.”
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The Health Museum opened in 1996 and has had more than 2 million visitors since its opening. The affiliation with the Smithsonian marks the first such relationship for any institution located in Houston’s Museum District.
