Passing of Andrew Bohm, professor and postdoctoral officer

To my colleagues at Tufts,

Andrew Bohm’s passing is a real loss for us all. I have a loving memory of him going back to 2009, regarding an enzyme with activity we knew well, but structure not at all. In my mail I had received an x-ray diffraction pattern sent by a close Canadian colleague Todd Holyoak, and I had no clue what all those dots meant. So off I went to Andrew who beamed with recognition, telling me that we would know our enzyme structure within minutes once these dots were analyzed on a huge computer at Stanford University. Within days I knew he was absolutely right, I was elated, and thanks to his half-hour of teaching I was hooked into the beauties of protein structure. That’s what universities are for: holding forth faculty with that unbeatable combination of knowledge, availability and teaching generosity; Andrew Bohm in a nutshell. I never fail to tell students what Andrew did for me, and what other faculty can do for them. Just go out and find the other Andrew Bohms out there.

Andrew Plaut, MD
Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
Gastroenterologist, Tufts Medical Center
 

 
Dear TUSM Family,

My thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Bohm’s family and friends. I have known Dr. Bohm as a mentor. When I first asked him to be my thesis mentor, he didn’t even hesitate to help. He immediately shared his wealth of knowledge with me and always made me feel supported. His passion for research and his genuine nature to help others always shined through every time I would talk to him. I’m truly blessed and honored to have been taught and mentored by Dr. Bohm.

Most Sincerely,
Arjun Saravanan, MBS22
 

 
The entire International Center team expresses its deepest condolences at the passing of Andrew Bohm. Our office worked with Andrew throughout the years on issues and matters relating to postdoctoral scholars, in particular, and he was the epitome of warmth, collegiality, professionalism, and support. His dedication to the postdoctoral community at Tufts was evident, and we often relied on him for his advice and insight. His work and contributions are deeply appreciated, and he will be remembered and missed.

Sincerely,
Andrew Shiotani
Director, Tufts International Center
 

 
“Andrew Bohm was a scientist’s scientist and a truly outstanding teacher and colleague. He made major contributions to science including solving the structure of heterotrimeric G proteins. He was always pushing the cutting edge, from using CRISPR to treat HIV to using AI to solve complex structures. I always enjoyed my conversations with him. He was a real tinkerer and loved showing people his homemade automated crystal-finding microscope system. He was quick to volunteer for teaching duties and committees. He was the kind of teacher who would spend hours writing a makeup exam for a single struggling student. He will be sorely missed by all of us at Tufts. My sincere condolences to his wife and family.” – Brent Cochran, PhD, TUSM and GSBS professor of developmental, molecular and chemical biology

“To those who knew Andrew, and those who didn’t, he was the chair of my thesis committee and the perfect mix of old-school meets new-school. You could count on his biochemistry course to have averages in the 50s and students apprehensive about their immediate standing, but also to have every possible opportunity for extra credit so that in all his years of heading the biochemistry course not a single student failed (to my knowledge). You could always count on Andrew to help with anything biochemistry or structural biology related - he loved to learn and loved even more to help those around him learn, a true academic. I’ll never forget beta testing his home-brewed 3D printer turned automated plate imager (coded by Andrew, of course) for helping me solve my first crystal structure - a true Andrew creation. You will be immensely missed, Andrew. All of us students adored you.” – Mike Thorsen, PhD, GSBS22
 

 
I am saddened to learn about the passing of Dr. Andrew Bohm. Andrew Bohm was my postdoctoral advisor from 2008 to 2010 at Tufts in Boston. With Andrew’s guidance, I got to learn the basics of protein crystallography and other biophysical methods. Andrew and I spent some time traveling and working together at the Argonne National Laboratory. I will remember his passion for teaching new skills to students and being resourceful when equipment was limited.

One thing that really stood out to me about Andrew was his passion for sailing. Being out in the ocean seemed to have always energized him. I once had the pleasure of joining him on one of his nautical adventures. I will cherish those memories. My deep condolences to his wife and their daughters.

Sincerely,
Sergei Shikov, PhD,
Sales and Marketing Engineer for THINKY U.S.A., Inc.
 

“I am absolutely heartbroken to hear of Andrew's passing. As a professor, he was a brilliant and dedicated scientist who inspired our curiosity, elevated our learning, and modeled true passion for science. As a person, he was a wonderful mentor who supported us through many hardships. He fostered trust and love among all who knew him, and it will be hard to imagine a world without his warmth, humility, and kindness. From structural biology journal club sessions on his sailboat, to casual inverse Fourier transform explanations on his office couch, to his hand-made crystallography contraptions, my memories of Andrew will be cherished forever.” – Ramesh Govindan, MD, PhD, M22, GSBS22

Dr. Bohm was my instructor last year, and he left a lasting impression on all of us. He was not only a dedicated and supportive teacher but also someone who deeply cared for his family and students.

I recall two occasions when I visited his office to seek further clarification on the interpretation of IP-Western analysis. Dr. Bohm patiently and thoroughly explained the intricacies, demonstrating his commitment to our understanding of the subject. The second occasion was during one of our biochem exams. He surprised the entire class by distributing candies, brightening our day with his thoughtful gesture.

Dr. Bohm had a unique way of connecting with us. He would often share a picture of a lake in Maine, taken from his mother's home, adding a personal touch to his lectures.

The news of his passing deeply saddened me, and my heartfelt condolences go out to his wife and children. Dr. Bohm was undeniably a remarkable man and educator who will be greatly missed.

– Haya Alhmly, GSBS PhD student

"I am sad and upset about Andrew’s passing, my colleague and friend of many years. We published papers together, co-chaired the weekly Structural Biology group for decades, sat on committees together, designed courses, and most recently, shared the same lab space. He was always reasonable and considerate, and he found multiple paths to resolution whenever a conflict arose. I will miss our conversations about politics, biochemistry, and providing the best learning environment we can for our postdoctoral fellows, students, and for each other. He was a true Renaissance man: a thinker, an athlete, a musician, a cook, and a craftsman. But above all, he was a person who cared about people." – Jim Baleja, PhD, associate professor of medical education and developmental, molecular and chemical biology, TUSM

"Andrew’s sudden and tragic passing is such a deep loss for the entire Tufts community. I collaborated with Andrew to support international students and postdocs and as part of the faculty Scholars at Risk committee. His deep commitment to making the world a better place was evident from my first interaction with him – from his deep commitment to the students and postdocs he worked with to his efforts to help create opportunities for international scholars facing life and death circumstances to come to Tufts. I will miss his collegiality, kindness, thoughtfulness and wisdom. My deep condolences to his family.”  – Diana V. Chigas, professor of practice in international negotiation and conflict resolution, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

“Dr. Andrew Bohm was my faculty advisor, thesis reader, and mentor during my time in the Tufts MBS program from 2021-2023. During MBS, Dr. Bohm and I talked often about school, our hobbies, my career plans, and life in general. He gave me confidence when I served as the Biochemistry TA for MBS after my didactic year and provided support during my application cycle for medical school. I still remember calling him crying after not getting the MCAT score I had hoped for and questioned whether or not I should wait to apply to medical school. He not only picked up while he was on vacation but spent time providing logical advice and walked me through all the emotions I was feeling. Now, as a M1 at UICOM, I think of Dr. Bohm as the reason I am here. I was so lucky to have had him as a mentor. His insight and encouragement has shaped my journey to becoming a physician and his impact goes beyond words. I will miss him dearly - and I know Tufts and the MBS program will too.” – Becky Chen, MBS23

“Andrew was a passionate believer in the power of research and education. For me, he was a trusted colleague, someone who I knew would always give his considered opinion on how the OVPR can and should advance efforts to support our post-doc community. He was open-minded and incredibly patient with all the twists and turns that we all experienced during COVID and was especially devoted to making the best of a tough situation as we worked our way through the difficult times COVID presented for all, but especially for the post-doc community. I treasure the time I served with him in the OVPR and the valuable lessons in humanity he shared.” – Augusta Rohrbach, PhD, associate provost for faculty initiatives, Tufts University

 

“I am deeply saddened to hear of Andrew’s untimely passing. I took a course with him as a graduate student where I discovered his passion for tinkering with proteins. He was kind, soft-spoken, and very good at PyMOL. I remember him staying after class one afternoon to help me render a protein so that I could include it in a presentation to my committee. I couldn’t get it to look quite right on my own, but he slid my computer away from me and fixed it in minutes, all the while suggesting I consider a career in crystallography. We are lucky to have had such a wonderful teacher, mentor, and friend as a member of our Tufts community.” – Alec Stepanian, MD, PhD student in CMDB

Andrew Bohm was one of the most generous, gracious people one could ever meet and an accomplished scientist. I started the same year at Tufts (1998) as Andy and he was always someone I could bounce things off and vice versa. I am deeply saddened at his passing and my sincere condolences to his family, and the Tufts and scientific communities. Andy and I interacted numerous times discussing science and he had great insight into things both small and large. While he would remember the valve fitting on a cryo-EM device, he would also not lose sight of the bigger picture. You will be truly missed Andy. Only the good die young!

Krishna Kumar, PhD, FRSC
Robinson Professor of Chemistry
Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Andrew and I were close colleagues..

For me, and all those he touched, Andrew Bohm will always be a beacon.

As a servant leader, the challenges of curricular and programmatic innovation, Andrew worked person-to-person, a consummate partner. Able to see the ‘other side’, kind-hearted, super smart.. willing and wanting to do the work, all of the time.

May he always be remembered as an innovator in education, and a devoted partner and mentor, just as he was such a talented experimentalist..

we will always miss you, Andrew
never to be forgotten
all you touched,
your living legacy..

Ira M. Herman, PhD
Professor and Director, Emeritus
Program in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology
Center for Innovations in Wound Healing Research

It's a painful moment to hear about the passing away of our postdoctoral officer, Prof. Andrew Bohm. I have known him since I took over as the president of the Tufts Postdoctoral Association (PDA) toward the end of spring 2023. Let me mention that he was a pillar of support to the PDA. We will miss his passion for working for the postdoc benefits and his enthusiasm to organize events throughout the year. Personally, I will miss his ever-smiling face and the email replies that I used to get from him within a few minutes to an hour of sending an email about various PDA activities! Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. May his family and friends get the strength to bear this loss. We are thankful to Andrew for his selfless support to the postdoc community. His contributions to the postdoc community will make him immortal in our hearts. Last but not least, I would like to quote a Sanskrit saying from ancient Indian scripture, The Upanishads, “Mrtyor-Maa Amrtam Gamaya | Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih”, which translates to, “lead us from death to immortality | Om peace, peace, peace”

With regards 
Arjak Bhattacharjee  
Postdoctoral Scholar of Biomedical Engineering  
President of Tufts Postdoctoral Scholars’ Association (PDA)