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Priscilla Chan

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This article is about the American philanthropist. For other uses, see Priscilla Chan (disambiguation).

Priscilla Chan
Chan in 2018
Born (1985-02-24) February 24, 1985 (age 39)
Braintree, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (BS)
University of California, San Francisco (MD)
Occupations
Title
Spouse
​
(m. 2012)​
Children3

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.

Early life and education

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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

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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

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Main article: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

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

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  1. ^ "Max", Cantonese Yale: Chàhn Mìhngyúh, Mandarin pinyin: Chén Míngyǔ, written 陳明宇.

References

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  1. ^ "Our Leadership". Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  2. ^ "Facebook's Royal Wedding". The New York Times. May 25, 2012. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  3. ^ "'You can't do a good job as a mom unless you have a tribe': Dr. Priscilla Chan, of Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, talks being mom, doctor amid COVID-19 | abc7news.com". abc7news.com. May 8, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Shanahan, Mark (July 30, 2010). "Mark Zuckerberg's lady friend is local". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  5. ^ Womack, Brantly (2006). China and Vietnam: Politics of Asymmetry. Cambridge University Press. pp. 26–28. ISBN 0-521-85320-6.
  6. ^ a b c d Christina Cauterucci (December 1, 2015). "Priscilla Chan's Formidable Influence on Mark Zuckerberg's Philanthropy". Slate. Archived from the original on December 2, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hope King (December 1, 2015). "Who is Priscilla Chan?". CNN. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Wong, Queenie (April 4, 2016). "Priscilla Chan, in rare interview, tells how her goals with Mark Zuckerberg are shaped by personal story". Times Herald Online. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  9. ^ "Mark Zuckerberg, Wife Visit Quincy High School - CBS Boston". WBZ News — CBS Boston. May 23, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Wagner, Kurt (July 10, 2017). "Priscilla Chan is running one of the most ambitious philanthropies in the world". Vox. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Meet Priscilla Chan: 10 things to know about Mark Zuckerberg's wife". TODAY.com. May 30, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c CNN, Poppy Harlow,Heather Kelly (October 15, 2018). "Priscilla Chan's $61 billion mission to help the next generation | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved September 2, 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Cambridge, Phillips Brooks House Association Harvard Yard. "Priscilla Chan, in rare interview, tells how her goals with Mark Zuckerberg are shaped by personal story". Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  14. ^ King, Hope (December 1, 2015). "Who is Priscilla Chan?". CNNMoney. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  15. ^ "Priscilla Chan: a doctor's drive to improve education". Chico Enterprise-Record. April 1, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  16. ^ "Dr. Priscilla Chan MD Pediatrics General Pediatrics". U.S. News. February 10, 2021. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021.
  17. ^ "Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan's Relationship Timeline". People. August 14, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  18. ^ Kell, John (February 8, 2016). "Mark Zuckerberg Reveals Daughter's Chinese Name". Fortune. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved February 29, 2016. In a pretty adorable video shared by the tech executive over the weekend, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan said their daughter Max's Chinese name is Chen Mingyu.
  19. ^ Lamagna, Maria (December 3, 2015). "How Kim Kardashian and Priscilla Chan differ when it comes to 'push presents'". MarketWatch. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  20. ^ Chandler, Adam (December 1, 2015). "A $45 Billion Birth Announcement". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  21. ^ "Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan to give away 99 percent of their Facebook stock, worth $45 billion". Washington Post. December 4, 2015. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  22. ^ "Mark Zuckerberg and family welcome new baby". CBC News. August 29, 2017. Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  23. ^ Hartmans, Avery (September 21, 2022). "Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are expecting baby No. 3". Insider. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  24. ^ Sam Littlefair (October 27, 2015). "Mark Zuckerberg says "Buddhism is an amazing religion"". Lion's Roar. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  25. ^ Gabbatt, Adam (August 14, 2024). "'Ultimate wife guy' or 'yikes'? Mark Zuckerberg reveals 7ft statue of wife". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Mark Zuckerberg Vows to Donate 99% of His Facebook Shares for Charity". The New York Times. December 1, 2015. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  27. ^ a b Wagner, Kurt (July 10, 2017). "Priscilla Chan is running one of the most ambitious philanthropies in the world". Vox. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  28. ^ Safian, Robert (October 2018). "Exclusive: The amazing ascent of Priscilla Chan". Quartz. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  29. ^ "Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg biggest giver in 2013". USA Today. February 10, 2014. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  30. ^ "Priscilla Chan". The Primary School. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  31. ^ "Philanthropy earns Priscilla Chan Visionary of the Year nomination". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
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