Return to Meritorious Service to Yale University

2020 Meritorious Service Award – Joseph A. Cerro

Joseph A. Cerro ’89

Vice President of Information Technology, Mnemo Therapeutics
Past Head of Informatics, Bayer Healthcare
Past President, Yale Science and Engineering Association, Inc.

Joseph Cerro ’89 received the 2020 YSEA Award for Meritorious Service to Yale University. After graduating from Yale with a BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, he earned degrees in Cell Biology and Anatomy from Columbia University. At Bayer Healthcare, Joe was Head of Informatics, ran a genomics laboratory, and held leadership roles in several groundbreaking research collaborations. As a consultant, he helped to develop some of the healthcare industry’s first smartphone apps and wearable technology concepts. Volunteering for Yale, Joe presided over the launch of YSEA’s pioneering alliance with FIRST Robotics, helped to establish an endowed fund to support STEM at Yale and in the community, supported departmental accreditation efforts, and has been an enthusiastic supporter of 1stGenYale programs. Joe currently serves as Vice President of Information Technology at Mnemo Therapeutics, a Paris-based biotechnology startup.

In 2020, the Meritorious Service Award was given to two awardees: Elie K. Track and Joseph A. Cerro. To hear them both speak about their service to Yale, check out the video below!

A Conversation with Elie Track PhD ’88 and Joseph Cerro ’89

July 31, 2021

Description for Video

The Yale Science & Engineering Association (YSEA) presented the “YSEA Award for Meritorious Service to Yale University” to Elie Track Ph.D ‘88 in Physics and Joe Cerro ‘89 in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry A lively discussion was co-moderated by James Lockman ‘89 and Luna Aguilar ‘24. The award is conferred upon a distinguished scientist or engineer who has given outstanding service to Yale University, or a member of the broader community who has given outstanding service to science or engineering at Yale University.

Previous award winners include leading educators, advisors to United States Presidents, noted philanthropists, university presidents, and alumni volunteers who have helped to create an outstanding community for science, technology, engineering and mathematics at Yale. Elie and Joe discussed their journeys in STEM, from their time at Yale to their past and current careers.

This program has been brought to the Yale community by the YSEA, in partnership with the Yale Alumni Association Shared Interest Groups.