Cyclist killed in Newton crash ID’d as Tufts professor

The cyclist struck and killed by a UPS truck in Newton Monday has been identified as Alex Bohm, a beloved professor and mentor to graduate students at Tufts University School of Medicine.

The 57-year-old Newton man, who went by Andrew, died at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Monday evening after the crash at the intersection of Bridge Street and Watertown Street, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said in a release.

The DA’s office said a preliminary investigation indicates Bohm was riding westbound on Watertown Street when the UPS truck, which was traveling eastbound, made a left turn and struck him. The truck driver, also a 57-year-old Newton man, remained on scene and is not facing charges at this time, according to the release.

An investigation into the crash remains ongoing.

Bohm was an associate professor of developmental, molecular, and chemical biology at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the university said in a statement posted to its website Tuesday. He was also Tufts’s postdoctoral officer, serving as a resource and an advocate for postdoc scholars.

“From hosting coffee hours to kayaking on the Charles River, he built a community where postdocs felt valued, supported, and empowered to thrive both academically and personally,” the university said. “He served with an open mind, a generous heart, and a genuine dedication to the postdoc community and the university.”

Bohm is survived by his wife Celia and their children, according to the statement.

Students and faculty chimed in with fond memories of Bohm, describing him as a passionate researcher who was generous with his time and expertise. 

“My mind fills with many images of Andrew as a colleague and friend,” Dr. David Stollar, TUSM professor emeritus, said on the university’s website. 

“He was always helpful and positive and enthusiastic, adding a smile to all these images; he was full of life, even in the fact that he was cycling home,” Stollar said. “What a loss for our community.”

Rebecca Condruti, a Ph.D student, recalled a time last year when Bohm took their journal club out on his sailboat and brought them snacks. 

“He was the kindest human and I’m so sorry to hear of his passing,” Condruti said.

Dr. Andrew Plaut, a TUSM professor and Tufts Medical Center gastroenterologist, shared a memory of Bohm helping him puzzle through some research. 

“That’s what universities are for: holding forth faculty with that unbeatable combination of knowledge, availability and teaching generosity; Andrew Bohm in a nutshell,” Plaut said. “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.”