# Priscilla Chan

> Priscilla Chan is the co-founder and co-CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a pediatrician-turned-philanthropist directing one of the largest private bets on biomedical science. With husband Mark Zuckerberg she has pledged the bulk of their fortune to a mission to help scientists cure, prevent, or manage all disease by the end of the century, increasingly through AI-powered biology and the Biohub network.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
- **Organizations:** Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network, The Primary School (co-founder)
- **From:** Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High school, Quincy High School, B.A. Biology (focus on Spanish), Harvard University, M.D., University of California, San Francisco, Pediatrics residency, UCSF
- **Known for:** Co-founded the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, with an original pledge worth roughly $45B in Facebook stock., Built the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network across San Francisco, Chicago, and New York., Helped seed openRxiv, the nonprofit home for the bioRxiv and medRxiv preprint servers.

## Career timeline

- **2007** — Graduates Harvard with a biology degree; teaches science to elementary students before med school.
- **2012** — Earns M.D. from UCSF; marries Mark Zuckerberg the day after his Facebook IPO.
- **2015** — Completes pediatrics residency; begins clinical work at San Francisco General Hospital.
- **2015** — Co-founds the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative with a pledge of 99% of their Facebook shares.
- **2016** — Co-founds The Primary School in East Palo Alto, a free K-12 + healthcare model.
- **2016** — CZI announces a $3B commitment to help cure, prevent, or manage all disease this century.
- **2017** — Stops practicing as a pediatrician to focus full-time on CZI.
- **2025** — CZI restructures around science and AI; layoffs and program closures follow.
- **2025** — Announces The Primary School will close at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
- **2025** — Pivots CZI to make the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network the central effort, with a focus on virtual cells and AI-driven biology.

## Achievements

- Co-founded the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, with an original pledge worth roughly $45B in Facebook stock.
- Built the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network across San Francisco, Chicago, and New York.
- Helped seed openRxiv, the nonprofit home for the bioRxiv and medRxiv preprint servers.
- Launched the Virtual Cell initiative, an open AI effort to model cellular behavior.
- Time 100 Most Influential People honoree.
- Co-founded The Primary School, an integrated education and pediatric care model.

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — CZI pivots to make Biohub its primary philanthropic vehicle, betting on AI-driven biology and virtual cell models.
- **2025-04** — Announces closure of The Primary School campuses at the end of the 2025-2026 school year, citing funding.
- **2025-03** — Speaks at SXSW about open science and AI for biomedical research.

## Links

- Website: https://chanzuckerberg.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscilla-chan-907181a3
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/chanzuckerberg
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/LocalMeasure

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/priscilla-chan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-30