Paul Chan has played a critical role in Tufts Medical Center’s history, representing Boston’s Chinatown community in negotiations with the Medical Center regarding its expansion throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. As a former member of the Medical Center’s Board of Governors for over 25 years, Paul would go on to serve on the Investment, Finance and Audit Committees. We are grateful not only for Mr. Chan’s loyal giving to the Medical Center, but also for all he has done to make Tufts Medical Center the institution that it is today.
Paul has been an active member in Boston’s Chinese community since he came to the city in 1970, forming close connections to both the Medical Center and surrounding community. A patient himself at Tufts Medical Center since the 1970s, Paul’s late wife, Anne, worked at the Medical Center as a nurse until their son was born in 1980. In the community, Paul was a close friend and advisor for Billy Chan, then president of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England (CCBA). Paul’s community network and professional experience made him the perfect person to help negotiate an agreement between the community and the Medical Center.
In the early 1980s, Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University continued plans to expand their footprints within Chinatown. Having assisted in negotiations between the Medical Center and the CCBA in the 1970s, Paul became an essential part of the negotiations for another Medical Center expansion. Paul joined a negotiation team from the CCBA to work with hospital leadership to find common ground between Tufts Medical Center and the Chinatown community. Together, Medical Center and community leaders discussed how the Medical Center could best support the community and its residents. Eventually, in collaboration with the City of Boston, the two parties signed a cooperation agreement in 1983. In recognition of his commitment and service to both the Medical Center and our Chinatown neighbors, Paul was honored at Working Wonders in 2009.
Paul continues his 50 years of support for Tufts MC as a member of our Governor’s Society, making annual leadership gifts in support of the Tufts Medical Center Fund. Gifts to the Tufts Medical Center Fund are unrestricted funds that allow us to address emerging healthcare needs, innovate medical treatments and enhance overall patient care without constraint, making it some of the most important gifts we receive.
When asked about his proudest achievement at the Medical Center, Paul remembers his leadership in facilitating and improving understanding between Tufts Medical Center and the Chinatown community. “We are close neighbors, after all” says Paul.
