The Museum of Medical Science opened in the
Houston Museum of Natural Science on November 16, 1969, and it remained there for 21 years. The current museum facility opened on March 16, 1996, as The Museum of Health & Medical Science. The building housing the museum, the John P. McGovern Building, was funded with a $9.5 million capital campaign. Since its opening, the museum has processed over two million visitors. In late 2001 the museum's board of trustees unanimously voted to rename the museum after
John P. McGovern. The museum revamped its brand in 2006, as part of the 10th anniversary of the standalone facility. Permanent exhibit space for the DeBakey Cell Lab opened in 2015. The DeBakey Cell Lab is a unique science-focused experience and the only bilingual science lab museum exhibit in the country. Honorably named after the respected and accomplished medical pioneer,
Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., this 2,000 sq. ft. exhibit features seven authentic biology-based science experiments developed for visitors ages 7 to adult. was once present in the Health Museum. ==References==