Last Updated on 22/08/2026 by TinHN Editor
Priscilla Chan (born February 24, 1985) is an American pediatrician, educator, and philanthropist of Chinese-Vietnamese descent. She is best known as the wife of Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Meta Platforms (Facebook), and as co-founder and co-CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), one of the world’s largest philanthropic organizations.
Priscilla Chan’s story stands out because of her remarkable journey: from the daughter of Vietnamese boat people refugees to the first person in her family to attend college, and later a physician and major science philanthropist. This article provides a complete overview of who Priscilla Chan is — covering her family background, education, career, marriage, and philanthropic work.
Early Life of Priscilla Chan: Daughter of Vietnamese Refugees
Priscilla Chan was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, and grew up mainly in nearby Quincy. Her parents, Dennis and Yvonne Chan, were ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam who fled by boat after the fall of Saigon in 1975.
According to Priscilla, her grandparents placed her parents — then teenagers — on boats near Saigon in search of safety. The family deliberately separated children onto different boats so that if one sank, the entire family would not be lost. Her mother has described the journey as terrifying; she could not swim and later lived in a Malaysian refugee camp under extremely difficult conditions, at times eating raw rice.
It took about ten years for the family to fully reunite. When her parents arrived in the United States, they had almost no money and spoke little English. They worked long hours, eventually opening a restaurant and later running a wholesale fish business. Priscilla grew up speaking Cantonese, began translating for her grandparents at age six, and worked at the front desk of the family restaurant as a teenager.
She has spoken openly about feeling like an outsider while growing up and worrying about whether the family had enough money. These early experiences strongly shaped her views on education, opportunity, and social equity.
Priscilla Chan’s Education: First in Her Family to Attend College
Priscilla was an outstanding student. She graduated as valedictorian of Quincy High School in 2003. Although her parents supported education, they were unfamiliar with the American college application process, including the SAT. Priscilla became the first person in her family to attend college.
She received a full scholarship to Harvard University, where she majored in biology and graduated in 2007. During her time at Harvard, she was involved with the Phillips Brooks House Association, a public-service organization, and has credited public-school teachers with recognizing her potential.
After Harvard, she spent one year teaching fourth- and fifth-grade science at the private Harker School in San Jose, California. In 2008 she entered the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, earned her MD in 2012, and completed her pediatrics residency in 2015.
Priscilla Chan’s Career as a Pediatrician
Following residency, Priscilla practiced as a pediatrician at San Francisco General Hospital and UCSF for approximately eight years (until around 2017).
In her clinical work she frequently cared for children with rare and undiagnosed diseases. Many families had spent months or years searching for answers that medicine could not yet provide. These experiences highlighted the limits of current medical knowledge and reinforced her belief that major investment in basic scientific research is essential to develop better treatments and cures.
This perspective later became central to the scientific mission of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
Marriage to Mark Zuckerberg and Family Life
Priscilla met Mark Zuckerberg in 2003 at Harvard during a party at the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi. At the time, Mark was a sophomore and Priscilla a freshman; they struck up a conversation while waiting to use the restroom.
They married on May 19, 2012 — the day after Facebook’s IPO. The couple has three daughters, born in 2015, 2017, and 2023.
Priscilla was previously Buddhist and converted to Judaism in 2022.
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative: Priscilla Chan’s Philanthropic Work
In December 2015, shortly after the birth of their first child, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg launched the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). They pledged to give 99% of their Meta shares (then valued at approximately $45 billion) to philanthropic causes over their lifetimes.
CZI was designed as a flexible organization operating across science, education, and justice & opportunity. In recent years it has increasingly focused on science and artificial intelligence applied to biology, with the long-term goal of helping prevent, cure, or manage all disease within their children’s lifetime.
Key initiatives include:
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub — a network of research institutes combining scientists, engineers, and AI experts
- Human Cell Atlas — mapping the cells of the human body
- Research in infectious disease, neuroscience, and biomedical imaging
- Large-scale biological datasets and AI tools to accelerate discovery
As co-founder and co-CEO, Priscilla plays a central role, especially in shaping the science strategy informed by her experience as a pediatrician.
Video: Why Dr. Priscilla Chan Donated More Than $6 Billion To Science
Quick Facts About Priscilla Chan
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Priscilla Chan |
| Date of birth | February 24, 1985 (age 41 as of 2026) |
| Place of birth | Braintree, Massachusetts, USA |
| Ethnicity / Background | Chinese-Vietnamese American |
| Parents | Dennis & Yvonne Chan (Vietnamese boat people refugees) |
| Education | Harvard (Biology), UCSF (MD) |
| Profession | Pediatrician, philanthropist |
| Spouse | Mark Zuckerberg (married May 19, 2012) |
| Children | Three daughters |
| Main organization | Co-founder & co-CEO, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative |
| Primary philanthropic focus | Science, disease research, AI + biology |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Priscilla Chan?
Priscilla Chan is an American pediatrician and philanthropist of Chinese-Vietnamese descent. She is the wife of Mark Zuckerberg and co-founder and co-CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
Are Priscilla Chan’s parents from Vietnam?
Yes. Her parents are ethnic Chinese who fled Vietnam by boat as refugees in the 1970s after the fall of Saigon.
Where did Priscilla Chan go to school?
She graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biology and earned her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
What does Priscilla Chan do for a living?
She previously practiced as a pediatrician and now focuses primarily on philanthropy, especially scientific research through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
How many children do Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg have?
They have three daughters, born in 2015, 2017, and 2023.
What is the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative?
It is the philanthropic organization founded by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg. It currently concentrates on science and AI-powered biology with the goal of preventing, curing, or managing disease.
Conclusion
Priscilla Chan is far more than “Mark Zuckerberg’s wife.” She represents a powerful immigrant success story: from the hardships of refugee life and a working-class upbringing to becoming a physician and a leading force in global science philanthropy. Through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, she and her husband are investing tens of billions of dollars to advance human health and knowledge for future generations.