Dr McGovern qualified in Medicine in 1995 from Trinity College Dublin and has worked as a GP specialising in the treatment of substance misuse since the implementation of the methadone treatment protocol in 1998. He is Medical Director of the Priority Medical Clinic, a private addiction treatment programme located in South County Dublin. In January 2022 he was appointed Clinical Lead for the HSE Addiction Services in Louth Meath & The Midlands. Dr McGovern holds a Master’s degree in Clinical and Public Health Aspects of Addiction from The National Addiction Centre, King’s College London, is a Diplomate of the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) and holds a Professional Diploma in Clinical Leadership from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He is also one of the first members of the International Doctors for Healthy Drug Policies (IDHDP),an international group of medical addiction experts aiming to promote sensible drug policies. Dr McGovern is also a member of the Irish Chapter of the New Nicotine Alliance.