At the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, our work has always been guided by a bold mission: to help build a better future for everyone. From the start, we cast a wide net to better understand where our resources and expertise could make the greatest impact.
Over the years, we’ve learned a great deal about where we’re uniquely positioned to help. I’m proud of all of it. We took bold bets, worked alongside incredible partners, and learned where we could be most effective — and where others might be better suited to lead. That journey has led us to sharpen our focus on the intersection of biology and AI, where we’re seeing transformative momentum, while still committing meaningful resources to education and to our local community.
For me, this next science-focused chapter is deeply personal. I was the first in my family to go to college. I studied biology and spent a year teaching elementary school science before going to medical school. I worked as a trainee and pediatrician at UCSF and San Francisco General for eight years. It was there that I saw the limits of medicine and science up close, working with children with rare diseases. For those families, expanding the limits of what we know — advancing basic science research — is their only hope for a better life for their child.
Those experiences shaped not just who I am, but what I believe is possible. And, it informed our mission in science — to help cure, prevent, and manage all disease by the end of this century. This work is already producing results. From our Biohubs to our AI-powered models to the researchers using our tools to uncover new insights, we’re seeing real breakthroughs.
