About Our Team: Capone Lab: Indiana University

People

Drew Capone, Ph.D.

Following a brief stint in cosmetics manufacturing, Drew taught high school math and chemistry with the US Peace Corps in rural Mozambique. After returning to the US, Drew received his PhD in Environmental Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and completed a Post Doc in Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Drew's research focuses on communities that are on the margins of society - in the US and internationally - where water and sanitation infrastructure is inadequate. He has broad interests in the field of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), environmental microbiology, microbial risk assessment, enteric pathogen fate and transport, evaluating interventions to interrupt the transmission of infectious diseases, and using flies as biomonitors of terrestrial fecal contamination. Currently he is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at IU-Bloomington. He is PI or Co-PI on several studies, including QUEST in Quelimane, Mozambique (Indiana CTSI, NIH R21), PARAR in Maputo, Mozambique (USDA NIFA), DigIndy in Indianapolis, Indiana (NIH R21), and the Bloomington Flies Study in Bloomington, Indiana (NSF CBET 1440).

Ph.D. Students

Nuzrath "Nuz" Jahan

Nuzrath Jahan is a medical doctor from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, in India. She is interested in WaSH and climate justice. She did her MPH from ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology, India, during which she worked on water and public health projects in Chennai, India. Currently, she is a fourth year PhD student working on the DigIndy Study. Her research focuses on evaluating how sanitation interventions interrupt the transmission of enteric microbes via coprophagous flies. Outside work, she is a cat mom and loves cooking.

Fatema Mahua

Fatema Akter Mahua is a public health graduate from Bangladesh, holding an MPH and BSc in Public Health and Informatics from Jahangirnagar University. Her MPH thesis focused on antibiotic residues in wastewater and their impact on antimicrobial resistance. She began her research career at the National Antimicrobial Reference Laboratory (BLRI), Bangladesh, focusing on antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic residues in the environment, and animal-derived food commodities. Later, at icddr,b, she conducted qualitative research on early child development and maternal health.

Currently she is a second-year PhD student in Environmental Health at Indiana University Bloomington. She is collecting and analyzing surface water samples as part of the DigIndy Study. Her work focuses on the role of sewage infrastructure on reducing fecal contamination in aquatic environments and the resulting public health risks. Outside of her professional commitments, Fatema enjoys unwinding by watching series, traveling with friends, and cherishing moments with her loved ones.

Matthew Quansah

Matthew Quansah began his career teaching Middle School General Science and Social Studies before working as a Laboratory Assistant in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cape Coast, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Water and Sanitation. After obtaining his bachelor's degree, he served as a teaching assistant and senior laboratory technician in the same department. He completed an MPH in Environmental/Occupational Health and Sustainability at Eastern Kentucky University. Currently, he is a second-year PhD student. His research interests include water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and using flies as biomonitors of environmental contamination. Matthew is leading controlled feeding studies of Blow Flies as part of the lab's NSF funded work. Outside the lab, he enjoys bowling and listening to music.

Michael Adeniji

Micheal Adeniji is a second-year PhD student in the Environmental Health program at Indiana University’s School of Public Health. He completed his undergraduate studies in Water Resources Management in Nigeria, where he worked on water treatment and public health projects. He earned a master's degree in environmental studies at Kentucky State University, focusing on the impacts of human activities, such as agricultural practices, on the environment. Currently, his research focuses on WASH and how sanitation interventions can interrupt the transmission of enteric pathogens. He is working on mapping and environmental sample analysis as part of QUEST in Quelimane, Mozambique. Outside of his academic pursuits, Micheal is a passionate photographer and content creator.

Master's Students

Emory Hoelscher-Hull

Emory Hoelscher-Hull previously worked in the Capone Lab as a Research Technician is now a second year MS Student. She graduated with a B.S. in Microbiology with a concentration in Environmental Health from Montana State University in Spring 2023. Broadly, she is interested in the impact that WASH and climate change have on human health. She is excited to continue working on WASH in the Capone lab through the QUEST Study in Quelimane, Mozambique, for which she manages day-to-day operations. Outside work, Emory loves to cook and spend time outdoors.

Other Lab Members

Hammed Mogaji

Hammed holds a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, master’s and PhD in Parasitology all with Distinction where he focused on Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases such as Malaria, Schistosomiasis, Onchocerciasis, Lymphatic Filariasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminths. His training was funded by the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases. He had additional postdoctoral training in Epidemiology at Institute of Collective Health, Salvador, Brazil, and at Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, United States, under a Medical Research Council Grant, and Yale Starlight Global Health fellowship respectively. He has broad interests in mapping diseases distribution and identifying socio-economic and ecological determinants of transmission. He is also a certified implementation scientist and completes his exploration interests with understudying and resolving bottlenecks limiting infectious disease control programs. He has over a decade of experience facilitating and evaluating the impact of preventive chemotherapy (PC) and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs aimed at controlling neglected tropical diseases. Currently, he is an Adjunct Professor in the Public Health Program at Marian University, and a Visiting Research Associate in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at IU-Bloomington where he is supporting the laboratory work on QUEST in Quelimane, Mozambique.

Undergraduate Students

Hafsa Khan

Hafsa Khan is a senior at Indiana University pursuing dual degrees in Biology and Environmental Science. She was a part of the Emerging Scholars Research Experience for Undergraduate Women. Hafsa works on the Bloomington Flies Study, which advances our understanding of using flies as nature's biomonitors. Hafsa aspires to be a climate physician, merging her passions for medicine and the environment. In addition to the Capone Lab, Hafsa is president of the Muslim Student Association on campus. In her free time, Hafsa loves to read and sew her own clothing. One of her favorite ways to relax is to watch a period piece while eating popcorn.

Allison Holder

Allison Holder is a senior at Indiana University pursuing a Human Biology BS with a concentration in Human Health and Disease with minors in Epidemiology and Psychology. Allison works on water sampling and analysis as part of the DigIndy study. She hopes to one day pursue a career as an epidemiologist. Outside the lab, Allison enjoys playing golf, going to the gym, and working as an oncology patient care technician.

Skylar Fischer

Skylar Fischer is a second year undergraduate student working in the lab as part of the Emerging Scholars Research Program (2024-2025). She is majoring in Molecular Life Sciences and minoring in Microbiology. She will be working on the Bloomington Fly Study where she will be analyzing blow flies for antibiotic resistant bacteria and their genes. After graduation, Skylar is intersted in working in a healthcare and/or lab setting in the future where she can combine her passions for health and science in my career. In her free time, she enjoys playing sports, learning to cook, and watching shows and movies.

Abdullah Exson

Abdullah Exson is a sophomore at Indiana University pursuing a degree in Biology BS and a minor in Chemistry. Abdullah works on the DigIndy study, which focuses on assessing wastewater treatment improvements in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. He hopes to one day pursue a career in Diagnostic Radiology and preferably live somewhere with lots of sun! Outside of the lab he enjoys playing guitar, sports, and singing.

Guinevere “Gwen” Clark

Guinevere Clark is a second-year undergraduate at Indiana University, pursuing a Neuroscience BS with a Spanish and Chemistry minor. Guinevere works with Nuz on the DigIndy project, where they sample and analyze blowflies to test fecal contamination levels throughout the city. Her goal is to pursue an MD/PhD after graduation, where she can combine her admiration for research with her passion for helping others. In her free time, Guinevere enjoys going to the gym, reading, and hanging out with her roommates

Former Students

Undergraduate Students: Anna Heintzman (2023-2025), Ben Morakinyo (2025), Christal Fosso (2025), Mico Richme (2025), Devona Henry (2025), Parisa Shirani (2024-2025), Lena Babiker (2024), Bre Lybarger (2024), Riley McCurdy (2024), Zach Martin (2024)