Dr. Mecenas earned his undergraduate degree in English literature at Wesleyan University and entered the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City through the undergraduate early admissions program. After medical school, he went on for his internship and residency in general surgery at North Shore University Hospital, an affiliate of New York University School of Medicine. During his residency, Dr. Mecenas gained experience in trauma surgery at the University of Miami; in transplant surgery and at the Burn Center, both at New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Weill Cornell Medical Center; and in advanced laparoscopic surgery at Yale University School of Medicine. He received a number of awards during his training, including Resident of the Year, and subsequently served as administrative chief resident in his final year of residency.

After his residency, Dr. Mecenas went on to complete a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at New York University School of Medicine. He has been involved in teaching advanced laparoscopic surgery techniques to other surgeons from the United States and abroad (Israel, Columbia, Japan). Dr. Mecenas specializes in minimally invasive surgical procedures to treat obesity, and problems of the digestive tract.

When he joined Surgical Associates in 2002, Dr. Mecenas initiated the weight-loss surgery program at Cayuga Medical Center. Dr. Mecenas, who performs laparoscopic gastric banding surgery and laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, heads a multidisciplinary team including dietitians, mental health professionals, and other health-care providers. He is board certified in general surgery and is a member of the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons.