Priscilla Chan’s journey from the daughter of Vietnamese refugees to a Harvard graduate, paediatrician and major science philanthropist is rooted in a family story shaped by war and migration. Her grandparents put her parents, who were teenagers at the time, on boats to flee Vietnam during the war. Chan grew up in Massachusetts, where her parents worked to build a new life after arriving in the US as refugees. She became the first person in her family to attend college, graduating from Harvard before earning her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco. Her experiences as a teacher and paediatrician later influenced her approach to philanthropy. Alongside her husband, Mark Zuckerberg, she went on to help direct substantial funding towards scientific research through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
Priscilla Chan’s parents fled Vietnam by boat
Chan was born in Massachusetts to Chinese-Vietnamese refugee parents. Her family’s story stretches back to the Vietnam War, when her grandparents decided to send their children away in search of safety. Chan has said her grandparents put their children on boats near Saigon and sent them out to sea, knowing there was a possibility they might never see them again. Her parents were teenagers at the time, and Chan has said it took about 10 years for the families to be reunited. Her parents eventually came to the US as refugees, arriving with almost no English skills or money and beginning the difficult process of rebuilding their lives.Chan grew up in Massachusetts, where her parents worked to provide opportunities for their children. She has recalled that her first job was translating for her family at the age of six. As a teenager, she worked at the front desk of the restaurant her parents eventually managed to open. Chan has also spoken about worrying that her family might not have enough money and about feeling like an outsider while growing up. These experiences became part of the personal history she later discussed when describing her views on education and opportunity.
She became the first in her family to attend college
Chan became the first person in her family to attend college when she enrolled at Harvard University. She studied biology and graduated in 2007. As a student receiving financial aid, she became involved with the Phillips Brooks House Association, a Harvard programme focused on public service. Chan has described the organisation as a source of support during her time at Harvard and has said that her experiences there helped shape her interest in service. She later taught elementary school science before going to medical school.
From teacher to paediatrician
Chan attended the University of California, San Francisco, where she earned her medical degree and trained as a paediatrician. She subsequently worked at UCSF and San Francisco General Hospital for eight years. Her experience caring for children, including patients with rare diseases, exposed her to situations in which doctors did not have all the answers. Chan has written about treating families who had spent months or years searching for explanations for their children’s conditions. She said those experiences showed her the limits of medicine and reinforced her belief in the importance of advancing basic science research.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
In 2015, Chan and Mark Zuckerberg established the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a philanthropic organisation whose original mission focused on advancing human potential and promoting equality. In their founding letter, the couple said they intended to devote 99% of their Facebook shares during their lifetimes to philanthropic purposes connected to that mission. CZI developed work across areas including science, education and justice and opportunity, with Chan playing a central role as co-founder and co-CEO.
Millions and billions for scientific research
Scientific research became one of CZI’s major areas of philanthropy. In 2016, Chan and Zuckerberg announced plans to invest $3 billion over 10 years to help scientists prevent, cure or manage disease. One of the initiative’s early major commitments was $600 million to establish the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, bringing together scientists and engineers to develop tools and technologies for biomedical research. The funding was part of the couple’s joint philanthropic effort through CZI rather than a personal $3 billion donation from Chan alone.CZI has since supported a wide range of scientific programmes and research projects. Its work has included infectious disease research, cell biology, neuroscience and imaging, as well as efforts to build biological datasets and tools for researchers. The organisation has also increasingly focused on the intersection of biology and artificial intelligence, seeking to use advanced computational tools and large biological datasets to accelerate scientific discovery.
Why Chan focused on science
Chan’s medical career has been closely connected to CZI’s science mission. In describing her work with children with rare diseases, she has recalled the difficulty of telling families that doctors did not know what was wrong with their child. Her experience as a paediatrician helped shape her belief that expanding scientific knowledge could eventually lead to better treatments and cures. CZI has consequently invested in research designed to give scientists better tools for understanding human biology and disease.One of its major scientific efforts is the Human Cell Atlas, which seeks to create detailed maps of the cells that make up the human body. CZI has also supported research infrastructure, imaging technologies and biological datasets intended to help researchers understand how cells function and how diseases develop. More recently, the organisation has highlighted AI as a way to analyse biological information and accelerate the search for new treatments.
From refugee roots to scientific philanthropy
Chan’s story connects several generations of her family. Her grandparents were living in Vietnam during the war and took the extraordinary step of putting their children on boats in search of safety. Her parents eventually reached the US as refugees and built a life despite arriving with little money and limited English. Chan became the first person in her family to attend college, studied biology at Harvard, taught elementary school science and became a paediatrician. She later joined Zuckerberg in building CZI, which has directed billions of dollars in philanthropic commitments towards science and other causes, turning a family history shaped by migration and sacrifice into a life centred on education, medicine and scientific research.