Priscilla Chan (born February 24, 1985)[2] is an American pediatrician and a philanthropist.[3] She and her husband, Mark Zuckerberg, a co-founder and CEO of Meta Platforms, established the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in December 2015 with a pledge to transfer 99 percent of their Facebook shares, then valued at $45 billion. She attended Harvard University and received her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco.
Priscilla Chan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Chan in 2018 | |
| Born | February 24, 1985 Braintree, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Harvard University (BS) University of California, San Francisco (MD) |
| Occupations | |
| Title |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Early life and education
Chan was born in Braintree, Massachusetts,[4] and grew up in Quincy, Massachusetts. Her parents were Chinese refugees who fled Vietnam in boats.[5][6] Chan grew up speaking Cantonese and interpreted for her grandparents who raised her and her two younger sisters, Michelle and Elaine, while her parents worked.[7][8] Chan's father owned a restaurant in Massachusetts, which he later sold to run a wholesale fish company in 2006. Chan graduated valedictorian of her class from Quincy High School,[7] where she was involved with the FIRST Robotics Competition team #69 HYPER[9][10] and where she was the captain of the tennis team.[10] Her classmates voted her "Class Genius."[8]
Although her parents were supportive of college education, they were unfamiliar with the process, including the SAT exam.[8] Chan is the first college graduate in her family and has said that "education is an incredibly personal issue" for her, noting that "[i]f you're the first generation to go to college...sometimes you don't realize your potential until others point it out."[7][11] She credits her public school teachers with recognizing hers and for "getting me excited about learning."[11] Chan received a full scholarship to attend Harvard University.[12] Feeling out of place at the school, Chan planned to transfer to another institution; however, her involvement with the Franklin Afterschool Enrichment program, specifically an encounter with a young girl who had broken teeth, inspired Chan to stay and to become a pediatrician.[13][12] Chan once reflected: “I was devastated. I thought, ‘What happened? What did I do wrong? I thought at the time, ‘I am not enough yet. … I need more skills. I need more power to be able to solve this.’ And so, when you’re 20 years old and a type-A Harvard student, the answer is medical school.”[12]
After graduating in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in biology, she taught 4th and 5th grade science at the private Harker School in San Jose, California, for a year before entering medical school at the University of California, San Francisco in 2008,[14][15] where she finished her pediatrics residency in 2015.[16][7] Chan was a pediatrician at San Francisco General Hospital.[7]
Personal life
Chan first met Mark Zuckerberg, future Facebook co-founder and CEO, at a fraternity party during her freshman year at Harvard University in 2003.[17] The pair married on May 19, 2012, the day following Facebook's IPO.[7] They have three daughters: Maxima[A][18] (born December 2015),[19][20][21] August (born August 2017),[22] and Aurelia (born March 2023).[23] According to a Facebook post by Zuckerberg, Chan is a Buddhist.[24]
In 2024, a 7ft-tall green and silver statue of Chan commissioned by her husband Mark Zuckerberg was unveiled on Zuckerberg's Instagram account. The statue attracted considerable media attention and a debate as to whether it was a strange gesture.[25]
Philanthropy
Zuckerberg and Chan have pledged about $4.6 billion to charities,[26] including a donation of $75 million to San Francisco General Hospital, where Chan worked.[7][27][28] In 2013, they gave 18 million Facebook shares (valued at more than $970 million) to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The Chronicle of Philanthropy placed the couple at the top of its list of 50 most generous American philanthropists for that year.[29] They also pledged $120 million to public schools in the San Francisco Bay Area.[6] In 2016, Chan co-founded "The Primary School," a nonprofit organization that would provide K–12 education as well as prenatal care in East Palo Alto, California.[7] She is the emeritus board chair of the school.[30]
On December 1, 2015, Chan and Zuckerberg posted an open Facebook letter to their newborn daughter. They pledged to transfer 99 percent of their Facebook shares, then valued at $45 billion, to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which is their new limited liability company that focuses on health and education.[6][26]
Chan handles the day-to-day operations at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.[27] Her charitable goals focus on education, healthcare, and science, which are closely tied to her personal background.[7] She is considered to have had a strong influence on the philanthropy of her husband.[6] She was one of six nominated for The San Francisco Chronicle's third annual Visionary of the Year award in March 2017. The award honors leaders who strive to make the world a better place and also drive change by employing new, innovative business practices.[31]
Notes
- "Max", Cantonese Yale: Chàhn Mìhngyúh, Mandarin pinyin: Chén Míngyǔ, written 陳明宇.
References
External links
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