Yasmin Carter, PhD, FAAO
Associate Dean for Academic Programs
School
School of Optometry
Department
School of Optometry
Office Location
LINC 209B
Worcester
Office Phone Office Phone: 508.373.5672
About
Dr. Carter serves as Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Associate Professor of Human Anatomy, applying anthropological research methods to transform health sciences education. With expertise in biological anthropology and clinical imaging, she leverages cultural analysis to address barriers to student success and faculty development. Since joining full-time in 2024, Dr. Carter has implemented evidence-based initiatives including the Jumpstart program and faculty mentorship framework, using predictive analytics to identify at-risk students beyond traditional metrics. Currently completing her FAOO fellowship examining eponym usage in optometric education, she leads comprehensive curriculum redesign through learning objective mapping to create an integrated spiral curriculum. Her research integrates organizational culture assessment with educational outcomes to optimize psychological safety and professional identity formation in diverse learning environments.
Education
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Clinical Imaging Education, Royal University Hospital
- PhD, Anatomy & Cell Biology , University of Saskatchewan
- MA, Biological Anthropology, University of Manitoba
- BA, Human Anthropology, University of Bristol
- American Medical Association (AMA) Health Systems Science Scholar
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
Research Interests
- Curriculum design and integration: learning objective mapping and spiral curriculum development
- Predictive analytics in health sciences education beyond traditional academic metrics
- Organizational culture impact on psychological safety and professional identity formation
- Cultural barriers to student success: religion, origin, and psychosocial factors in learning
- Educational linguistics: eponym usage and interprofessional communication in optometry
- AI-enhanced pattern recognition for early intervention strategies
Programs
Featured Affiliations
American Optometric Association
WebsiteAmerican Association for Anatomy
WebsiteAssociation of American Medical Colleges
WebsiteEducation
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Clinical Imaging Education, Royal University Hospital
- PhD, Anatomy & Cell Biology , University of Saskatchewan
- MA, Biological Anthropology, University of Manitoba
- BA, Human Anthropology, University of Bristol
- American Medical Association (AMA) Health Systems Science Scholar
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
Research Interests
- Curriculum design and integration: learning objective mapping and spiral curriculum development
- Predictive analytics in health sciences education beyond traditional academic metrics
- Organizational culture impact on psychological safety and professional identity formation
- Cultural barriers to student success: religion, origin, and psychosocial factors in learning
- Educational linguistics: eponym usage and interprofessional communication in optometry
- AI-enhanced pattern recognition for early intervention strategies
Programs
Publications
Peer-reviewed publications
- Carter, Y., Bennett, D.J., Molla, V., Wink, A. E., Collins, A. J., and E. Lela. Giannaris (2021) A case of distal limb arterial tortuosity and dilation: observations and potential clinical significance. Folia Morphologica doi: 10.5603/FM.a2021.0055. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34060644.
- Carter, Y., Mangiameli, D.J., Flahive, J., Giannaris, E. Lela., and A.J. Collins. Lost in Transcription: Utilizing 3D Printed Tags to Increase Accessibility and Reduce Common Causes of Error in Anatomy Practical Exams. Anatomical Sciences Education
- Carter, Y. and D.J. Mangiameli. Design of a 3D Printed Tagging System to Improve Accessibility in Medical Education. 3D Printing
- Burbridge, B., Burbridge, C., Costa, J. and Y. Carter. ODIN: Adaptation of an HTML 5-Compatible DICOM Viewer for MIRC-TFS, Enhancing the Incorporation of Clinical Images into the Health Science Curriculum. Medical Science Educator, 1-7. (2019).
- Ashique, A.M., Hart, L.S., Thomas, C.D.L., Clement, J.G., Pivonka, P., Carter, Y., Mousseau, D.D. and D.M.L. Cooper. Lacunar-canalicular network in femoral cortical bone is reduced in aged women and is predominantly due to a loss of canalicular porosity. Bone reports, 7, pp.9-16. (2017).
- Maggiano, I.S., Maggiano, C.M., Clement, J.G., Thomas, C.D.L., Carter, Y., and D.M.L. Cooper Three-dimensional reconstructions of Haversian systems in human cortical bone using synchrotron Micro-CT: Morphology and quantification of branching and transverse connections across age. Journal of Anatomy May;228(5): 719-32 (2016).
- Carter, Y., Suchorab, J.L., Thomas, C.D.L., Clement, J.G. and D.M.L. Cooper. Normal Variation in Cortical Osteocyte Lacunar Parameters in Healthy Young Males. Journal of Anatomy 225(3):328-36. (2014).
- Carter, Y., Thomas, C.D.L., Clement, J.G. and D.M.L. Cooper. Femoral Osteocyte Lacunar Density, Volume and Morphology in Females Across the Lifespan. Journal of Structural Biology 183(3):519-26. (2013).
- Zangen, Z., Wahid, K., Babyn, P., Cooper, D.M.L., Pratt, I. and Y. Carter. Streaking artifact suppression in sparse-view CT image reconstruction. Computational & Mathematical Methods in Medicine. Vol. 2013, Article ID 185750, 15 pages. doi:10.1155/2013/185750. (2013).
- Carter, Y., Thomas, C.D.L., Clement, J.G., Peele, A.G., Hannah, K. and D.M.L. Cooper. Variation in Osteocyte Lacunar Morphology and Density in the Human Femur - a Synchrotron Radiation Micro-CT study. BONE 52(1):126-132. (2013).
- Britz, H.M., Carter, Y., Jokihaara, J., Leppänen, O.V., Järvinen, T., Belev, G. and D.M.L. Cooper. Prolonged Unloading in Growing Rats Reduces Cortical Osteocyte Lacunar Density and Volume in the Distal Tibia. BONE 51(5):913-9. (2012). COVER ARTICLE
- Cooper, D.M.L., Chapman, L.D., Carter, Y., Wu, Y., Panahifar, A., Britz, H.M., Bewer, B., Zhouping, W., Duke, J., and M. Doschak. Three-Dimensional Mapping of Strontium in Bone by Dual Energy K-Edge Subtraction Imaging. Physics in Medicine and Biology 57(8): 5777-5786. (2012). FEATURED ARTICLE
- Swanston, T., Carter, Y., Hopkins, C., Walker, E.G. and D.M.L. Cooper. Developmental fusion of the malleus and incus in a late 19th century case of aural atresia. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 23(5):612-17. (2011).
- Carter, Y. Through a glass darkly: clouded perceptions of gender and feminist archaeology. MASA: Journal of the Manitoba Anthropology Students’ Association 27: 54-62. (2009).
Peer-reviewed published abstracts
- Carter, Y. (2023) Rewriting the Language of Optometric Anatomy: The Hidden Problems of Eponyms. World Congress of Optometry, Minneapolis, MN, June 26-27 2025
- Carter, Y. (2023) Building Faculty Skills to Improve Diversity and Inclusion in Educational Materials and Learning Environments. American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Lean, Serve, Lead, Seattle, WA, November 2023. Table Talk Peer Reviewed
- Detton, A.J., Carter, Y., Kurra. S., Rose, A., and E. Rutland (2023) Advancing Affirming Care for People Who Identify as Intersex in Medical School Curricula. Poster Presentations Abstracts, 27th Annual Meeting of the International Association of Medical Science Educators, June, 2023. Med.Sci.Educ. 32 (Suppl 1), 23–123 (2023). Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Gerstein, R., Carter, Y., Haley, H.L., MacGinnis, C., Peterson, K., Hogan, S., Whitehouse, A., Taweh, O., Igiesuoboro, O., Herbert, C., and M.A. Fischer (2023) DRIVE: Diversity, Representation, and Inclusion for Value in Education – interprofessional faculty development for a bias-free curriculum at UMass Chan Medical School. J Immunol 1 May 2023; 210 (1_Supplement): 231.01. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.210.Supp.231.01 Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y., Haley, H.L., MacGinnis, C., Peterson, K., Hogan, S., Whitehouse, A., Taweh, O., Igiesuoboro, O., Herbert, C., and M.A. Fischer (2022) Building an Interprofessional Approach Towards a Representative and Bias-Free Curriculum at the UMass Chan Medical School -- Developing and Implementing DRIVE: Diversity, Representation, and Inclusion for Value in Education. American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Lean, Serve, Lead, Nashville, TN, November 2022. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y., Collins, A.J., Giannaris, E.L. and A. Wink (2022) What’s in A Name? Reflecting Diversity in the Anatomy Lab. American Association of Clinical Anatomists (AACA) Annual Meeting, Fort Worth, Texas. June 13th -17th 2022. Podium Presentation. Peer Reviewed
- Giannaris, E.L., Collins, A.J., Wink, A. and Y. Carter (2022). Pivot to Virtual Labs: An Opportunity to Expand Our Instructional Toolbox. American Association of Clinical Anatomists (AACA) Annual Meeting, Fort Worth, Texas. June 13th -17th 2022. Tech Fair Presentation. Peer Reviewed
- Collins, A.J. and Y. Carter (2021). Are Anatomical Gift Donors Demographically Representative of the American Aging Patient Population? Innovation in Aging. 2021 Jan;5(Suppl 1):626-626. PMCID: PMC8680731. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y., Brooks, W.S., Wilson, A.B., Barremkala, M. and L. A. Jerome-Majewska. Recommendations from the AAA/AACA Symposium on the Anatomist Shortage and the Role of Diversity. Abstracts Presented at the 38th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists, June 28th – 2nd July 2021 Virtual. Clinical Anatomy. DOI: 10.1002/ca.23844. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Collins, A.J., Gest, T.R., Lohman Bonfiglio, C., Meyer, E.R., Nation, E.R., Wisco, J.J. and Y. Carter. The Sum of Our Voices: Toward Achieving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the AACA. Abstracts Presented at the 38th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists, June 28th – 2nd July 2021 Virtual. Clinical Anatomy. DOI: 10.1002/ca.23844. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y. Creation of an anatomically accurate model of the deltoid for pediatric injection training. Abstracts Presented at the 38th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists, June 28th – 2nd July 2021 Virtual. Clinical Anatomy. DOI: 10.1002/ca.23844. Podium Presentation. Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y. and A.J. Collins (2020). Anatomy Lab Safety: When Good Isn’t Good Enough. Abstracts Presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists, 15th–19th June 2020 Virtual. Clinical Anatomy. doi.org/10.1002/ca.23694. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y. and A.J. Collins (2020). Injury Reporting in the Anatomy Lab. Abstracts Presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists, 15th–19th June 2020 Virtual. Clinical Anatomy. doi.org/10.1002/ca.23694. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y. and E.L. Giannaris (2020). ‘Boning Up’: Self-Directed Osteology Lab Stations Support Learning in Time-Crunched Labs. Abstracts Presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists, 15th–19th June 2020 Virtual. Clinical Anatomy. doi.org/10.1002/ca.23694. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Collins, A.J. and Y. Carter (2020). Veteran Body Donation Trends at UMASS Medical School. Abstracts Presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists, 15th–19th June 2020 Virtual. Clinical Anatomy. doi.org/10.1002/ca.23694. Peer Reviewed. Podium Presentation. Winner of the Anatomical Services Award.
- Mullan, H. E. and Y. Carter (2020). Creating a 3D Printed Model of the Female Perineum to Supplement Traditional Cadaveric Education. The FASEB Journal, 34(S1), 1-1. doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.03699. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y. (2020). Incorporating LGBTQ+ Inclusivity and Gender‐Neutral Considerations into Medical School Anatomical Education: First Steps. The FASEB Journal, 34(S1), 1-1. doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.06238. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Giannaris, E.L., Collins, A.J. and Y. Carter (2019) The Donor Rose Ceremony – Providing Closure and Promoting Humanism in the Anatomy Lab. Abstracts Presented at the 36th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists, 11th–15th June 2019, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Clinical Anatomy, 33: E64-E96.doi:10.1002/ca.23451. Podium Presentation. Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y. (2019) Trouble with Terminology: Confounding of The Terms “Sex” And “Gender” In the Anatomical Literature. The FASEB Journal, 33(1_supplement), pp.438-3. doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2019.33.1_supplement.438.3 Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y. (2018) Practical 3D Printing: For All the Things You Can't Buy on Amazon. Abstracts Presented at the 35th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists (AACA). July 2018, Atlanta, Georgia. Clinical Anatomy, 31: E66-E115. doi:10.1002/ca.23260Podium Presentation. Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y. (2018) Trans* Experience of Anatomy: Contributions to Medical School Competencies. The FASEB Journal, 32(1_supplement). Podium Presentation. Peer Reviewed
- Gilroy, A.M., Giannaris, E.L., Carter, Y. and N.A. DeAngelis (2017) Functional Anatomy Sessions: An Innovative Method for Teaching Musculoskeletal Form and Function. Abstracts Presented at the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists (AACA) July 17-21 2017, Minneapolis, MN. Clinical Anatomy, 30(8): 1118–1145. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y., Costa, J. and B. Burbridge (2016) Preliminary Multi-Site Usage for The Online ‘Medical Imaging Solution for Teaching and Research’ (MISTR). The FASEB Journal, 30(1_supplement), pp.787-3. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y., Costa, J. and B. Burbridge (2016) Creation of an online ‘Medical Imaging Solution for Teaching and Research’ (MISTR). Abstracts presented at the 32nd annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists (AACA) June 9-12, 2015, Henderson, Nevada. Clinical Anatomy, 29: 78–103. doi: 10.1002/ca.22658. Podium Presentation. Peer Reviewed. Winner of the Tapan K. Banerji Award.
- Carter, Y., McKenzie, A., Costa, J. and B. Burbridge (2015) Adaptation of an internet-based DICOM viewer for use with the Medical Imaging Resource Center–Teaching File System (MIRC-TFS). The FASEB Journal, 29(1_supplement), pp.692-7. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Maggiano, I. Thomas, C.D.L., Clement, J.G., Carter, Y. and D.M.L. Cooper (2015) Synchrotron three-dimensional reconstruction of cortical bone for analysis of osteonal branching and interconnectivity across age. Abstracts presented at the American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) Annual Meeting. St Louis, USA. March 25-28. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 156: S60, pp. 1-334. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y., Suchorab, J.L., Thomas, C.D., Clement, J.G. and D.M.L. Cooper (2013) Intra-element variation in osteocyte lacunar density and morphology in healthy young male cortical bone. The FASEB Journal, 27(1_supplement). Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y., Thomas, C.D.L., Clement, J.G., Peele, A.G., Hannah, K. and D.M.L. Cooper (2011) Synchrotron radiation micro-CT of intra-element variation in osteocyte lacunar volume and density of the human femur. Abstracts presented at the Annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR). San Diego, 16-20 September 2011. Journal of Bone Mineral Research, 26: S1, pp.S1-S527. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Britz, H.M, Carter, Y., Jokihaara, J., Leppänen, O.V., Järvinen, T., Belev, G. and D.M.L. Cooper (2011) Prolonged unloading in growing rats reduces cortical osteocyte lacunar density and volume in the distal tibia. Abstracts presented at the Annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR). San Diego, 16-20 September 2011. Journal of Bone Mineral Research, 26: S1, pp.S1-S527. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y. and M.T. Silcox (2010) Auditory functional analysis: lessons from the primate auditory ossicles. FASEB Journal 24: 449.7. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y., Allard, T.T., Moore, N.C., Goertzen, A.L., Klonisch, T. and R.D. Hoppa (2009) The role of 3D printing in teaching and education in human skeletal anatomy. FASEB Journal 23: 479.1. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
- Carter, Y. and R.D. Hoppa (2009) 3D endocasts versus 3D brains: a test of accuracy using virtual techniques. PaleoAnthropology 1: A7. Poster Presentation Peer Reviewed
Policy Statements, White Papers, Reports
- DRIVE: Diversity, Representation and Inclusion for Value in Education. Annual Reports 2021,2002,2023
- Britz, H.M., Carter, Y., Jokihaara, J., Leppänen, O.V., Järvinen, T., Belev, G. and D.M.L. Cooper. Prolonged Unloading in Growing Rats Reduces Cortical Osteocyte Lacunar Density and Volume in the Distal Tibia. Canadian Light Source 2013 Research Report.
- Cooper, D.M.L., Chapman, L.D., Carter, Y., Wu, Y., Panahifar, A., Britz, H.M., Bewer, B., Zhouping, W., Duke, J., and M. Doschak (2013) Three-Dimensional Mapping of Strontium in Bone by Dual Energy K-Edge Subtraction Imaging. Canadian Light Source 2012 Research Report.
Awards and Honors
- Helping Hands Award – MCPHS Student Government Assocation 2025
- Educational Achievement (STAR) Award – T.H. Chan Medical School 2024
- Letter of Commendation from the UMass Chan Provost and the Diversity and Inclusion Office, for work in creating an inclusive and appropriate educational environment for learners. April 2023
- Selected for the American Medical Association Health Systems Science Scholars Program 2022-2023
- Educational Achievement (STAR) Award – T.H. Chan Medical School 2022
Additional Affiliations
- Adjunct Associate Professor, Translational Anatomy, UMass Chan Medical School
- Adjunct Associate Professor, Conflict & Violence Lab, UMass Amherst Anthropology