Anatomical Sciences

Dr. Cawley pursues research in diverse areas related to functional anatomy. His research goal is to better understand the myofascial system and its interaction with the nervous system plays a role in chronic pain.  This includes understanding how manual therapies improve functioning and decrease pain. Dr. Cawley enjoys being part of a functional anatomy research team at VCOM-Auburn that is seeking to develop tools and methods that can enhance the study of functional anatomy and chronic pain.

Dr. Carter is originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, where she studied human osteology with Dr. William Bass, known for his research on decomposition of the human body to help crime investigations. Her graduate research at the University of Chicago was on chimpanzee skeletal pathology and stable isotopic bone chemistry of primates in Kibale National Park, Uganda. She first studied and taught human anatomy, histology, and embryology at Pritzker School of Medicine during graduate school. She also spent many years working in archaeology and was a Certified Human Osteologist in Illinois, where she worked on cemetery relocation projects and assisted with forensic cases. She taught anatomy and cadaveric dissection at numerous medical schools, prompting her to get her medical degree in 2012. In lieu of residency, Dr. Carter returned to academic medicine and taught anatomical sciences at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine in Dothan for many years. Now at VCOM Auburn Campus, she continues to serve as a consultant on skeletal forensic cases through the Montgomery Medical Examiners Office, overseen by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. She is passionate about death and mortality in medical education and research.

Education

Education

Education

The main goal of my laboratory is to investigate the hematopoietic bone marrow-derived Common Connective Tissue Progenitor Cells (CCTPCs) in the heart valves and big vessels. After initially discovering the CCTPCs during chicken embryo heart valve development, and both embryonic and adult murine heart valves, we have validated the existence of these cells in human heart valves too.

We are isolating the CCTPCs from human bone marrow and using them to repopulate/seed bovine and porcine decellularized heart valve matrices. We are investigating the fate of these cells after seeding in vitro, both static and dynamic conditions.

We are also using the CCTPCs to seed decellularized pig blood vessels creating tissue engineered aortas, which are implanted into rats for various lengths of time before they are explanted and histologically evaluated.

Using the cadaveric material from the Anatomy Lab, we are researching the anatomical variation of the common carotid artery origins, with special attention to the formation of endothelial intimal thickening. We were able to show that when the left common carotid artery originates from the brachiocephalic trunk instead from directly off the aortic arch, then presents increased intimal thickening. This intimal thickening is the result of the engrafting CCTPCs originating from the bone marrow.

To explain the cause of the intimal thickening in case of the anatomical variations of the common carotid artery origins, we are using computational fluid dynamics simulations and calculations of the flow and shear stress.

Capabilities:

I am able to provide expertise in histological sample collection and processing, as well as light- and laser confocal microscopy. Classical and immunological labeling of cells and tissue samples is a routine in my lab, also I am already advising multiple PIs in setting up multiple immunofluorescent experiments.