Dr. Michael Cappello, Department Chair and Professor of Epidemiology; Professor of Pediatrics and Microbial Pathogenesis
BRIDGING PUBLIC HEALTH, MEDICINE, AND GLOBAL RESEARCH
Written by Gabriella Umboradak Nanjo
Edited by William Chen
Dr. Michael Cappello leads a dynamic career that spans multiple disciplines. You might find him in the lab, at the hospital, in the classroom, or even conducting fieldwork. He is a professor in both the School of Public Health and the School of Medicine, with additional appointments as an infectious disease physician and a microbial pathogenesis specialist. Dr. Cappello is also currently serving as the interim director of the Institute of Global Health and has been in the position for about a year and a half.
Dr. Cappello’s research lab, housed in the School of Public Health, focuses on parasitic infections and their impact on pediatric nutrition and development. To complement their work, his lab also collaborates with epidemiological field sites in countries such as Ghana and Guatemala. His journey into infectious disease research began as an undergraduate, working in a lab studying schistosomiasis, an infectious disease. Later, in medical school, a mentor who was both an infectious disease physician and a consultant for the Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C., further inspired his interest in infectious diseases. During his residency, Dr. Cappello expanded his research portfolio with projects on hepatitis and HIV. Initially, research was not his primary career goal, but as his experiences grew, he saw its potential as a fulfilling and impactful career path.
What drew him to infectious disease as a clinical specialty was its intellectually stimulating and mentally challenging nature. Interestingly, his research background aligned organically with this specialty, shaping his unique career trajectory.
A typical week for Dr. Cappello involves balancing his roles across the lab, hospital, classroom, and other administrative duties. He spends one to two weeks on call at the hospital and, when not on call, focuses on teaching and guiding his lab’s research efforts. The relatively small size
of his lab enables him to provide effective mentorship, fostering the growth of each member. Undergraduate researchers in his lab are paired with senior mentors and even have opportunities to spend summers working at international field sites.
For Dr. Cappello, tropical medicine—a field he describes as largely understudied—is filled with opportunities for discovery. While it may lack the allure of more prominent research areas, it plays a critical role in advancing knowledge about child health and infections.
Throughout his career, Dr. Cappello has tackled diverse projects. Among them, he has studied the varying effectiveness of deworming treatments in communities across Ghana and Guatemala and contributed to establishing a nonprofit hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. Of the many countries he has visited, he particularly enjoyed his time in Ghana, Senegal, Argentina, Egypt, and China.
For undergraduates pursuing research, particularly at Yale, Dr. Cappello emphasizes the importance of mentorship over the specifics of a project. According to him, a strong mentor-mentee relationship is far more valuable than the appeal of the research topic itself, as it fosters personal and professional growth.