Parallel pursuits Allison August, MD’93, and Barry S. Ticho, EX’LAB, PhD’87, MD’88

MARRIED SINCE

Started dating: While undergraduates at brother-sister schools outside Philadelphia (August at Bryn Mawr College, Ticho at Haverford College).

Pushing for Pritzker: Ticho started medical school first and lobbied for August to choose Pritzker after completing her premed requirements. His reasons were pragmatic as well as romantic. “I’m so grateful Barry convinced me to come to Pritzker, because it was a wonderful place for me,” August said. “I had a fantastic experience with amazing mentors.”

I loved that the school was about: ‘What were you going to do with this knowledge to make a difference in this world?’ We bonded over that. Our core values were so aligned with the University of Chicago. Their pursuits were always parallel with ours. It very much felt like a family,” said August.

Favorite Hyde Park date night spot: Salonica, “The Med” (Medici on 57th) or Valois. “In those days, it was not like it is now, all cleaned up and fancy,” Ticho said.

A Pritzker wedding: They married during Ticho’s one-week break in between his obstetrics and pediatric rotations. August was content to have a small wedding, but Ticho’s mother had other ideas. “She said, ‘People are coming from all over! We’re not giving them chips in the backyard!’ We ended up having 250 people at our wedding, and it was really fun,” August said. The guests included many Pritzker students and professors, including Godfrey Getz, Leon Resnekov, Lucia Rothman-Denes and James Schreiber.

Ticho’s deep Maroon roots: Ticho’s parents lost their families during World War II. When they immigrated to the U.S., they both became physicians and strongly emphasized education, driving Ticho 30 minutes each way daily to attend UChicago’s Laboratory Schools. A cousin, Harold Ticho, SB’42, SM’44, PhD’49, received three degrees from the University of Chicago (and worked with legendary physicist Enrico Fermi). Ticho has served as a myCHOICE program advisor and on the UChicago MBSAA Alumni Council, collaborates with the Booth School of Business, and is on the Polsky Center’s George Shultz Innovation Fund advisory committee, which provides funding to new companies and for the development of new medicines.

Bad married housing: They lived in married student housing at 5621 S. Maryland Ave. Happily, the building has since been torn down. “It was mouse-infested. It was disgusting!” August said, laughing. “But we were so grateful to get in because it was cheap and close to campus,” Ticho added.

Developing the COVID-19 vaccine: During the pandemic, August was Moderna’s Vice President of Clinical Development, Infectious Diseases, and helped lead the development of the COVID-19 vaccine and the first mRNA-encoded monoclonal antibody. She served as the physician lead for the vaccine’s phase 3 efficacy trial. Ticho previously worked at Moderna, where he worked on the lipid nanoparticle that transports the mRNA for the COVID-19 vaccine. “One-on-one patient contact is valuable. But making medicine that could help millions of people, like the COVID vaccine did? We had a much greater impact,” Ticho said.

Where they work now: August was named Chief Medical Officer at Comanche Biopharma in November 2022. Ticho has been the Chief Medical Officer at Stoke Therapeutics for more than five years.