Meet a Retriever—Mary Jumbelic ’79, author and former chief medical examiner

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 09:27:01 -0400
alumni, forensic-pathologist, magazine, medical-examiner, meet-a-retriever, retriever-authors, story

Meet Mary Jumbelic ’79, biological sciences. Mary is an author and former chief medical examiner of Onondaga County, New York. In her 25-year career, she has performed thousands of autopsies and helped pass national safety policies for consumer products, preventing untimely deaths. She’s been an expert witness on Dateline, 48 Hours, the Discovery Channel, and the Law & Crime Network. While retired from government work, Mary continues to consult on cases while pursuing her passion for writing. In 2023, she published her first book, Here, Where Death Delights: A Literary Memoir, and just recently released her second this summer, Speak Her Name: Stories from a Life in True Crime. Take it away, Mary!

Q: What initially brought you to UMBC?

A: When considering colleges, I was looking for lower-cost schooling to which I could commute. I couldn’t afford to move away from home or live on campus. UMBC had an excellent reputation in the sciences, and I planned to go on to medical school. The chance to attend a four-year college, live at home, and receive scholarships was extraordinary to me. Plus, the connection with the University of Maryland system paved the way for medical school.
Jumbelic at her gamelan angklung concert with her friend, Steven Zachs.
Q: What did you love about your academic programs at UMBC?

A: As a first-generation student, I felt a bit at sea my first semester. UMBC allowed me to repeat a course I failed and receive a new grade. Both were present on my transcript, but the higher grade counted in my GPA. This grace provided me with more confidence. I also struggled as a pre-med student and drifted into accounting, education, and creative writing. UMBC made it easy to sample classes from many different disciplines. I studied under Pulitzer Prize-winning poets, heard preeminent lecturers in chemistry, and settled into a rigorous academic life in biological sciences. Taking the Myers-Briggs personality test, I matched with a career in medicine. Biology turned out to be the perfect fit.
Jumbelic working the microscope. She worked in forensic pathology for more than 25 years.
Badminton at the gym, gamelan angklung music classes, and foreign language studies rounded out my education. I graduated cum laude in 1979, the first of my family to ever go to college.

Q: Who in the UMBC community has inspired you or supported you?

A: A posting on the biology bulletin board led to the best job I ever had in college, opening the door to four years with the Martin Marietta Environmental Technology Center’s research and development program. Dr. K. Zankel, a brilliant physicist at Martin Marietta, taught me to be a research assistant in the field and in the lab, leading by example and serving as my first, and one of my most cherished, mentors. I worked counting fish populations in the effluent from the nuclear plant (both on sonar tracking and in vivo) as well as in their sulphur dioxide monitoring program with site visits to their plant in St. Croix. UMBC accepted my affiliation and research paper for credit, which helped me graduate.

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UMBC made it easy to sample classes from many different disciplines. I studied under Pulitzer Prize-winning poets, heard preeminent lecturers in chemistry, and settled into a rigorous academic life in biological sciences.
Mary Jumbelic ’79

biological sciences

Q: Can you tell us about your career and any upcoming projects?

A: I am a board-certified forensic pathologist and former chief medical examiner of Onondaga County, the first female to hold the role in all of Central New York. In my 25-year career, I’ve performed thousands of autopsies across the United States and abroad as part of special assignments to aid in world disaster sites. I’ve even used forensic evidence to help pass national safety policies for consumer products, preventing untimely deaths. Over time, I’ve received awards for my work from the National Transportation Safety Board and the New York State Senate, among others. I am honored to have been recognized as a trailblazer by the National Organization of Women. While retired from government work, I continue to lend my expertise and consult on cases, as well as speak on forensic pathology topics on national podcasts and for educational speaking engagements. I’ve also had more time to devote to my passion—writing.
Jumbelic at a book signing at a Rochester Barnes & Noble.
In the last decade, I’ve published numerous short stories across more than 30 publications. I’ve been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and was a top-10 finalist in the Tucson Literary Festival. In 2023, I launched my company, Final Words Publishing, and released my first book Here, Where Death Delights: A Literary Memoir. The book quickly gained international readership, receiving First Prize from The BookFest, Silver Awards from the Nonfiction Authors Association and Reader’s Favorite, as well as Gold from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. In July 2025, I published my second book, Speak Her Name: Stories from a Life in True Crime. With this work, I give a voice to the many women I found on my autopsy table as I had learned to find my own voice, which I use to educate and empower those still with us today.

My books are true stories of my life in and out of the morgue, where I spent more than 25 years with the dead. I speak for them and demystify death for the living.

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UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.