- Jeffrey Yumbla will join the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine as part of the 2026 entering class after years of preparing for a career in medicine.
- His experiences as both a patient and an advocate for his family helped shape his goal of becoming a physician who listens, supports, and cares for patients throughout their lives.
- Yumbla studied Molecular Biology, completed research programs and fellowships, and gained clinical experience working in urgent care settings across North Jersey.
- His connection to Hackensack Meridian began as a child receiving care and continued through the M.I.N.D.S. internship, which strengthened his decision to attend the medical school.
- As he begins medical school, Yumbla looks forward to learning alongside his classmates and serving the community that has been part of his life for many years.
AI generated.
A drive down Route 3 in is just another New Jersey commute for most. But for Jeffrey Yumbla, it is a kind of life-long journey—one that has brought him to the doors of the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. His path over 23 years has been shaped by early tests of resilience - and the inspiration to pay forward the care that once saved his family, and himself.
“I want to be the kind of physician where patients feel they have someone championing in the corner for them,” Yumbla says, reflecting on his path. “Making them not feel alone at any stage of their life—whether they’re healthy or sick—that’s my life mission.”
Yumbla is one of the 2026 cohort who will matriculate to the medical school in July.
CHILDHOOD SHAPED BY MEDICINE
Yumbla was brought to the hallways of hospitals early on - and long before most. Growing up in South Hackensack as the child of Ecuadorian immigrants, Yumbla found himself stepping into the role of caregiver and advocate at an age when most children were not aware of such things.
One harrowing day when he was just 11 years old, he accompanied his mother to work in Newark. When she suffered a miscarriage, she had to take a public bus home with her then-only son. But the trip, with all its stops, was long. She was bleeding. Upon reaching Hackensack University Medical Center close to home, she passed out. Even when she regained consciousness, the language barrier left her isolated.
“I was really her only sole advocate in the room,” Yumbla recalls.
Seeing his mother vulnerable and alone in a hospital setting became a defining, core memory—a moment that sparked his drive to ensure no one else would ever have to navigate a medical crisis without support.
But his own health was tested in the clinical setting, just a short while later. He was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis in middle school. The illness meant years of frequent hospitalizations—a period where he became intimately familiar with the pediatric wards at Hackensack.
But even while facing his own health battles, his dedication to his education never wavered. He recounts times he brought his organic chemistry and other textbooks to the hospital, studying for an exam while receiving care, as he expected to be released in time for the academic test.
“I really tried to take advantage of my time as much as I could, because at the end of the day, I know it’s tough luck that I got sick, but I'm still not gonna let it affect me, or use it as an excuse to not accomplish my goals,” he said. “That was really the mindset I carried with it, even since middle school. And it has paid off.”
PRECISION - SCIENCE AND SERVICE
Yumbla’s academic career has been a testament to that same persistence. He earned a Molecular Biology degree from Montclair State University, where he honed his scientific acumen through rigorous research. He was one of six students of Ecuadorian heritage based in the tri-state area (NJ,NY,CT) to be recognized through a program called "Juventud Ecuatoriana" in 2024. His work has spanned from investigating the effects of cobalt sulfate on human fibroblast lung cell health to researching the nuclear export protein on influenza A virus replication during a fellowship at UC San Diego. In his time there, he participated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Scholar with the American Heart Association and the NIH-funded ToxMSDT (Toxicology Mentoring and Skills Development Training Program) with UC Irvine.
His clinical experience has primed him for pursuing his medical degree, as well. Over the last year, he has worked long and demanding shifts at multiple urgent cares across North Jersey. In so doing, he has gained direct experience in triaging and diagnostic testing, bridging the gap between classroom theory and the fast-paced reality of patient care.
But all roads seem to lead from - and return to - Hackensack. For Yumbla, the M.I.N.D.S. (Medical Internship and Network Development) internship at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine was a pivotal point, confirming his calling to pursue medicine within the system that he holds in such high regard. He attended it twice - once as a high schooler who didn’t know how to pursue his dream, and later as a college student who knew exactly how he was going to make it happen.
“Even then, I knew HMSOM is the place where I wanted to be in a couple of years,” he recalled. “You know, as the years went by, it got closer and closer. I went to college, finished college, applied here - just praying that I get in here.”
Beyond the Exam Room
When not pursuing his professional dream, Yumbla balances his high-intensity career ambitions with a passion for community and personal well-being. Whether he is running, following (occasionally literally) his beloved New York City Football Club, or spending time with his family, he has kept rooted in the community that has raised him. He remains close with his family - his parents, dad who works in construction, mom who works in the service industry, and two younger sisters.
As he prepares for the next chapter of his medical career, Yumbla carries his experiences with him. He knows what it is like to be the patient, the advocate, and the student. Ultimately, he sees his upcoming journey at HMSOM as the fulfillment of a long-held promise: to serve the community and ensure that every patient feels heard, understood, and championed.
The next leg of his journey begins in July.
“What I’m most looking forward to is meeting my new colleagues, my new future friends,” said Yumbla. “It's crazy to think that I'm even in this position, so it really hasn’t hit me yet. But I know it’s going to hit me on the first day of orientation. Meeting all these like-minded people who all share the same common goal of helping our communities is something that I'm really looking forward to.
“I’m eager to grow into the physician that I have always envisioned myself as: compassionate, humble and understanding,” he added.