Marie Cerone is the holder of the patent Meredith Grey needed for her research and an old family friend.
History[]
Friendship with Grey Family[]
Marie was Meredith's "auntie" as she and Meredith's mother, Ellis Grey were once best friends. She frequently called Meredith "Mer-Mer" as a child and watched her grow up. Marie threw Meredith an eighth birthday party where she filled the entire bedroom floor to ceiling with balloons. Marie recalled Meredith being a "disembodied giggle" over it.
In her professional life, she worked on the laparoscopic biliary reconstruction with Ellis. This medical procedure became known as the Ellis Grey Procedure. The procedure was nominated for and later won a Harper Avery Award, Ellis' second and final win. Marie, however, did not receive any credit for her contribution. ("Games People Play")
Meredith's Proposal[]
Marie came to Seattle to meet with Meredith when Meredith asked for use of her polymer in research. When she arrived, she and Meredith realized they knew each other when Meredith was a child because Marie and Ellis were best friends. They caught up on the lost time and then Meredith made her proposal. Marie was still unconvinced, and so Meredith had Taryn Helm bring out the mouse they had saved by secretly using Marie's polymer.
Marie then agreed that it was revolutionary and said after she had a good night's sleep, they'd meet and talk business. However, Meredith learned shortly afterward from Richard Webber that Marie and Ellis hated each other, which is why they were no longer best friends, and that Marie had likely stolen Meredith's idea. ("Games People Play")
When Meredith asked her about it, Marie said that Ellis had stolen the idea for the surgical innovation that won her her second Harper Avery. They had developed it together, but Ellis published the research solo before Marie could publish it jointly. In exchange, Marie wanted Meredith to announce Marie's contribution publicly and change the name of the procedure to the Grey-Cerone Method. Meredith told her she couldn't undo her mother's legacy without being able to hear her side of it. Marie then decided she would use her company's resources to fully develop the mini-livers before Meredith could do so and have them known as Cerones. ("Old Scars, Future Hearts")
Meredith's Presentation[]
When Meredith gave a presentation of her mini-livers, Marie attended. During the presentation, Meredith informed everyone about Marie's contribution to Ellis' surgical method and announced that she wanted the method to be now known as the Grey-Cerone Method[1]. After the presentation, Marie tried to talk to Meredith, but Meredith said she'd said everything she wanted to say. ("Fight For Your Mind")
Rhnull Blood[]
Meredith reached out to Marie in Spain to inquire if she could help her out on her quest to find Rhnull blood for Gus Carter, but to no avail. ("Head Over High Heels")
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
Marie never married and never cared much for romantic relationships. (Old Scars, Future Hearts)
Familial[]
She went back to Spain after time in the US because her father wanted her to run his company. Later, she took over ownership when her father died. She considered her father's death to be timely, as he had been sick for a long time. ("Games People Play")
Friendships[]
Ellis Grey[]
She and Ellis Grey were best friends for many years. Marie considered Ellis to be the greatest love of her life. (Old Scars, Future Hearts) Sometime after Meredith's eighth birthday, they had a falling out.
Meredith Grey[]
Marie considered Meredith to be the closest thing she had to having children. She was very fond of her, and watched her work over the years as she grew into a surgeon.
Career[]
She is an attending general surgeon.
When she and Ellis Grey worked together, she was sexually harassed by Harper Avery and was eventually paid a settlement as a result of that. Ellis Grey left her name off the paper publishing their work in order to win a Harper Avery Award, which Marie was ineligible to win, ending their friendship and resulting in Marie returning to Spain to run her father’s company. At a presentation she was giving on her mini-livers, Meredith Grey announced that the Grey Method would be known as the Grey-Cerone Method to acknowledge Marie's contributions.
Gallery[]
Episodic[]
Episode Stills[]
Appearances[]
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 14 | |||||
| #01 | "Break Down the House" | #09 | "1-800-799-7233" | #17 | "One Day Like This" |
| #02 | "Get Off on the Pain" | #10 | "Personal Jesus" | #18 | "Hold Back the River" |
| #03 | "Go Big or Go Home" | #11 | "(Don't Fear) the Reaper" | #19 | "Beautiful Dreamer" |
| #04 | "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" | #12 | "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" | #20 | "Judgment Day" |
| #05 | "Danger Zone" | #13 | "You Really Got a Hold on Me" | #21 | "Bad Reputation" |
| #06 | "Come on Down to My Boat, Baby" | #14 | "Games People Play" | #22 | "Fight For Your Mind" |
| #07 | "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" | #15 | "Old Scars, Future Hearts" | #23 | "Cold as Ice" |
| #08 | "Out of Nowhere" | #16 | "Caught Somewhere in Time" | #24 | "All of Me" |
- ↑ Although called the Ellis Grey Procedure in "Old Scars, Future Hearts", Meredith calls it the Grey Method, which is how it is referred to in every other instance.