Tina McGovern, MPA

Position: Founder

Tina McGovern is a dedicated, experienced non-profit leader with a history of building organizational capacity through fund development, strategy, training, and management. In her desire to help her son Jack and families with children who battle Coats’ Disease, she uses her expertise to shape an organization that can be a resource for families in need of comfort and care, connecting patients to physicians and seeking funding to launch viable research projects critical to finding a cure.

Tina is currently the Executive Director of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Foundation. Formerly she was Director of Development, Medical Center for UCSF Medical Center/UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Before joining UCSF Tina was the Director of Development for Gateway Public Schools in San Francisco and has worked in development/fundraising and communications for 30 years. She founded and ran a successful non-profit consulting and event planning business and was the former Development Director for Florence Crittenton Services and Mercy High School in San Francisco.

In 2013 Tina earned a Masters in Public Administration from Golden Gate University, San Francisco and holds a Bachelors Degree in English from the University of Santa Clara. A native San Franciscan, she is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and Association of Bay Area Development Officers. She makes her home in San Francisco. She is most proud of their four adult children: Katie Koborsi, Claire Shalbrack, Meagan Kuhn, and Jack McGovern, her sons- in-law and her grandchildren.

FAQ

At the Jack McGovern Coats’ Disease Foundation, we are often contacted by anxious parents or patients who are seeking information after receiving a diagnosis of Coats’ Disease. The questions below are provided as a resource to assist you as you and your doctor decide the best approach for treatment. These questions do not constitute any form of medical advice or diagnosis. Each patient is unique. An experienced retinal specialist who has examined the patient is the best source of information for diagnosis and treatment. We always recommend getting a second opinion.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor (Download PDF)

Ahead of any treatments or procedures, it is important to ask yourself and the doctor the following questions:
- How do you know that this is Coats’ Disease?
- Has your doctor treated other patients with Coats’ Disease?
- Have you sought a second opinion? If not, please consult our Doctor Directory for knowledgeable doctors in your area.
- What Stage of Coats’ Disease is he/she in?
- Will his/her vision get worse over time?
- Will the eye have pain?
- Will his/her eye start to turn out? Is muscle corrective surgery an option?
- Are cataracts likely?
- How likely is glaucoma? (due to retinal detachment)
- Is there calcification?
- What is the anticipated disease progression?
- Is there a thorough vision exam available?
- Where is the vision affected? (central/peripheral/distance)
- Does he/she have depth perception? (3D visibility)
- What about the non-Coats’ eye?
- To what extent is his/her vision affected?
- Will we be able to use this as a baseline to measure progress/decline?