Psychologist, Professor
Psychology
Department: Psychiatry
I am the chief psychologist for the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health. I am also the director of the Women’s Behavioral Health program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and the director of Ambulatory Services for OSU Harding Behavioral Health.
My primary area of focus is caring for women with cancer. My team and I also treat women who are struggling with unique life events including pregnancy, the postpartum period, their menstrual cycle and menopause. We also provide support for patients coping with issues like infertility and loss.
Please note: Not all physicians schedule patients at each listed location.
I am a member of the Cancer Control Program at the OSUCCC - James, where my research centers on risk factors for sexual and psychological maladjustment in gynecologic and breast cancer patients during various stages of diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.
I also focus on identifying cognitive and interpersonal processes that modulate sexual and psychological outcomes, with the goal of developing a model of adjustment that incorporates not only premorbid risk but also cognitive and interpersonal process variables with potential clinical utility.
The overarching goal of my work is to develop effective psychosocial interventions aimed at reducing sexual and psychological morbidity in women with cancer.
In addition to my clinical research, I serve on the Steering Committee of the Scientific Network on Female Sexual Health and Cancer and has co-authored numerous articles appearing in well-known journals such as Health Psychology, Translational Behavioral Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology.
I am a clinical health psychologist and associate professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Psychology and Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Ohio State University, as well as a member of the Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC). I am chief psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and director of Ambulatory Services for Ohio State Behavioral Health.
I studied psychology as an undergraduate at Northwestern University and, following four years of work in health care management consulting, I completed my doctoral training at Ohio State, focusing on women’s sexual health and cancer. I completed my clinical internship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and, following a postdoctoral fellowship in Cancer Prevention and Control Research at the University of California, Los Angeles, returned to Ohio State, first in the Department of Psychology and now in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.
My research program involves understanding the role of cognitive, affective and interpersonal processes in sexual, psychological and physical health outcomes among women with cancer and other medical concerns. I've served as a funded principal investigator for over 15 years and has developed expertise and considerable skill in the design and administration of observational, longitudinal and intervention studies. I hold the distinction of being one of a small but growing number of scholars in the country with significant expertise in both sexuality and cancer survivorship.
Shortly after joining the Ohio State College of Medicine in 2013, I began working with collaborators in the divisions of Gynecologic Oncology and Breast Oncology to build a clinical service dedicated to addressing the unmet sexual health needs of women with cancer. This, combined with my scholarly work, resulted in my appointment as director of the newly formed Women’s Behavioral Health (WBH) program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in 2014. Signature clinical service lines include Women’s Intimacy and Sexual Health (WISH), Maternal-Fetal Behavioral Health, and Well-Being Across the Reproductive Lifecycle.
The three-fold mission of WBH is to provide evidence-based behavioral health care; to conduct clinical research that will improve the effectiveness and safety of care for future generations of women; and to serve as a training center for psychology doctoral trainees, residents, fellows and undergraduate students interested in the unique behavioral health needs of women. It has been the ideal home for me to provide care, conduct research and educate new generations of scholars and clinicians.
At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, we support a faculty member’s research and consulting in collaboration with medical device, research and/or drug companies because a faculty member’s expertise can guide important advancements in the practice of medicine and improve patient care. In order to provide effective management of these relationships, the University requires annual disclosures from all faculty members with external interests related to their University responsibilities.
As of 11/3/2025 Dr. Carpenter has reported relationships with the companies or entities listed below. If you have questions about the relationships listed below, please ask the faculty member. If you have questions about how these relationships are monitored by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, please contact our Compliance Office.