Priscilla Chan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Priscilla Chan
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Chan at SXSW in 2025
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| Born | February 24, 1985 Braintree, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Education | Harvard University (BS) University of California, San Francisco (MD) |
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| Children | 3 |
Priscilla Chan (born February 24, 1985) is an American doctor who cares for children, known as a pediatrician. She is also a philanthropist, which means she gives a lot of money and time to help others. Priscilla Chan is married to Mark Zuckerberg, who is the co-founder and leader of Meta Platforms (the company that owns Facebook).
In December 2015, Priscilla and Mark started an organization called the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. They promised to give away most of their wealth through this initiative to support important causes.
Contents
Early Life and School
Priscilla Chan was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. She grew up in a nearby town called Quincy, Massachusetts. Her parents were refugees from Vietnam. They were ethnically Chinese.
Priscilla grew up speaking Cantonese. She often helped her grandparents by translating for them. Her grandparents helped raise her and her two younger sisters, Michelle and Elaine. Her parents worked hard. Priscilla's father owned a restaurant. He later sold it to start a fish company in 2006.
High School Achievements
Priscilla was a very good student at Quincy High School. She was the top student in her graduating class. She was also part of the FIRST Robotics Competition team. She was the captain of the tennis team too. Her classmates even voted her "Class Genius."
College Journey
Priscilla's parents supported her going to college. However, they did not know much about the process. Priscilla was the first person in her family to go to college. She has said that education is very important to her. She believes that sometimes you do not realize your own potential until others help you see it.
She thanks her public school teachers for seeing her potential. They also made her excited about learning. Priscilla received a full scholarship to attend Harvard University. At first, she felt out of place there. She even thought about transferring to another school.
However, she worked with a program called Franklin Afterschool Enrichment. There, she met a young girl who had broken teeth. This experience inspired Priscilla to stay at Harvard. It also made her want to become a pediatrician. She realized she needed more skills to help children.
Medical School and Career
Priscilla graduated from Harvard in 2007. She earned a bachelor's degree in biology. After college, she taught science to 4th and 5th graders. She taught for one year at the private Harker School in San Jose, California.
In 2008, she started medical school. She attended the University of California, San Francisco. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree in 2012. Then, she completed her training in pediatrics in 2015. Priscilla worked as a pediatrician at San Francisco General Hospital until 2017.
Helping Others
Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg have given billions of dollars to charities. This includes a $75 million donation to San Francisco General Hospital. This is where Priscilla used to work. In 2013, they gave 18 million Facebook shares to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. These shares were worth over $970 million at the time.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy named them the most generous American philanthropists that year. They also promised $120 million to public schools. These schools were in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
On December 1, 2015, Priscilla and Mark wrote a public letter on Facebook. It was for their newborn daughter. In this letter, they promised to give away 99 percent of their Facebook shares. These shares were worth $45 billion at the time. They would give them to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). CZI is an organization that focuses on health and education.
In 2016, Priscilla and CZI helped start The Primary School. This was a nonprofit organization. It aimed to provide free education from kindergarten to 12th grade. It also offered prenatal care, early childhood education, and health care. These services were for people in East Palo Alto, California and nearby areas. Priscilla served as the emeritus board chair of the school.
In April 2025, CZI announced that The Primary School's campuses would close. This included the East Palo Alto and San Leandro locations. The closures are planned for the end of the 2025-2026 school year. CZI said this was due to a lack of funding. As part of the closure announcement, CZI promised $50 million over five years. This money will go to programs for parents, early childhood education, and health care services. These programs will be in the East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, and East Bay communities.
Priscilla Chan manages the daily work at CZI. Her goals for helping others focus on education, health care, and science. These areas are very important to her because of her own life experiences. Many believe she has greatly influenced her husband's charitable giving. In March 2017, she was nominated for the San Francisco Chronicle's Visionary of the Year award. This award honors leaders who work to make the world better. They also use new and creative ways to make changes.
Some people have pointed out that CZI often tries to solve problems. These problems are sometimes caused by social media. This includes the social media platforms that Mark Zuckerberg created.
Personal Life
Priscilla Chan first met Mark Zuckerberg in 2003. This was at a party during her first year at Harvard University. They got married on May 19, 2012. This was the day after Facebook's stock became available to the public. They have three daughters. Their daughters were born in 2015, 2017, and 2023.
Mark Zuckerberg shared on Instagram in 2023 that Priscilla Chan converted to Judaism.
In 2024, a tall green and silver statue of Priscilla Chan was revealed. Mark Zuckerberg had commissioned it. He shared it on his Instagram account. The statue received a lot of attention and discussion.
Images for kids
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Chan at SXSW in 2025
See also
In Spanish: Priscilla Chan para niños
