Todd Allen, 1970–2024
Todd Allen PhD’99 of Cambridge, MA, devoted and loving son, brother, husband, and father, passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack on September 11, 2024, at age 54.
Todd was born in Canada to Shirley Wilson Allen and the late Wayne Allen in 1970, and grew up in St. Catharine’s, Ontario, with his older brothers, Scott and Shawn. He received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. He received his PhD in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison before joining the Ragon Institute in 2001. He was promoted to professor of medicine in 2014. He was also an associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He published numerous papers, received untold grants, and contributed greatly to the HIV and hepatitis C research community.
Todd met the love of his life, Jessica O’Leary, in 2008, and they wed in 2011. Their wonder twins were born two short years later — Mackenzie Edward O’Leary-Allen and Sadie Wilson O’Leary-Allen. They were extremely fortunate to have traveled to many parts of the globe as a family and even more fortunate to build a strong community in their home in Cambridge.
Todd was a scientist and a scholar, a beach-lover and a gardener, a thoughtful friend and an excellent listener. He was an introvert who loved to dance. He was a loving son and brother. He was an incredible life partner. He was the best papa in the world. He was so patient, incredibly smart and even more hard working. He was funny as hell and kept you on your toes. He helped those around him shine. Everyone who met Todd loved him. If he was part of your life, he made your life better.
He was a blessing to us all.
