Professor Peter Lichtenberg is the Director of both Wayne State University's Institute of Gerontology and its Merrill Palmer SkillmanInstitute, as well as the Founding Director of the Wayne State University Lifespan Alliance.     He is a national expert in financial capacity assessment and financial  exploitation of older adults.   He is particularly interested in finding ways to balance autonomy and protection of older adults.

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He has published over 200 book chapters and articles on psychological vulnerability and fraud and is nationally known for his work on financial decision making, capacity and undue influence. As a result, he served as an expert witness in numerous trials involving the issue of an older adult's capacity to manage his or her own affairs as well as questions of undue influence.   Dr. Lichtenberg is the author of seven books and authored or co-authored 175 journal articles and book chapters.

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Dr. Lichtenberg has  held leadership roles in the American Psychological Association, Gerontological Society of America and Psychologists in Long Term Care.