Peter Lichtenberg, Ph.D.

Interim Director CV (PDF)

Peter A. Lichtenberg, Ph.D., is also the Director of the IOG and Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience & Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Wayne State University. Dr. Lichtenberg received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Purdue University, where he also minored in aging.

Dr. Lichtenberg is the author of five books, including the highly acclaimed Handbook of Dementia (2003, Handbook of Assessment in Clinical Gerontology (Wiley press, 1999) and A Guide to Psychological Practice in Geriatric Long Term Care (Haworth Press 1994). In addition, Dr. Lichtenberg has edited a four volume series for the organization Medical Psychotherapy, and has published over 100 peer reviewed scientific articles. His particular areas of research include mental health in long term care, geriatric depression, and the early detection and management of Alzheimer's Disease.

Eric Mayes, Ph.D.

Associate Director

Eric Mayes, Ph.D. is the Associate Director of the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute, and Executive Director of its Child Development Lab. He also is an adjunct assistant professor in the School of Education's division of Theoretical and Behavioral Foundations. Dr. Mayes' research examines the impact that culturally diverse, developmentally appropriate, emotional supportive and socially engaging learning environments have on human growth, development and cognition.

Prior to joining the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute Dr. Mayes was an adjunct professor at Howard University and Dean of Students at an elementary and middle school in Washington, DC. Dr. Mayes has studied and researched in both the Gambia-West African, and in Salvador, Bahia. Dr. Mayes graduated from Howard University in 2006 with a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the Department of Human Development and Psychoeducational Studies. Dr. Mayes earned both his bachelor's degree in 1998 and master's in Education Technology in 2000 from the University of Michigan. In 1997, he served as the captain of the University of Michigan's national championship football team.

Heather Balog, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Assistant Professor in the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute and the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. Biosketch (PDF)

Dr. Balog's research focuses on the phonological and pragmatic aspects of speech and language development in the birth to five population. She is especially interested in exploring the connections between the development of the use of intonation (or pitch) and other speech/language skills. This is an interesting area of speech and language acquisition because speakers use changes in their intonation (or pitch) to indicate their attitudes/intentions when they speak and to mark grammatical boundaries, such as the end of a sentence. She is currently studying these types of skills in normally developing infants and toddlers and older preschool children who have speech/language impairment.

Shawna Lee, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor at the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute and at the School of Social Work. CV (PDF)

Dr. Lee's research focuses on the role of fathers in the etiology of physical child abuse. She is co-recipient of a grant from the Centers from Disease Control to fund research using data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study. These studies examine factors that are related to fathers' physical and psychological aggression directed towards their child. Several related studies link community variables to maternal parenting behaviors and child maltreatment. Another area of research examines the nexus of work and family life and work barriers among low-income mothers. Dr. Lee teaches graduate level social work courses in social welfare policy, research methods, and program evaluation.

Steven J. Ondersma, Ph.D., LP

Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry Behavioral Neurosciences of the Wayne State University School of Medicine. CV (PDF)

His primary interest is brief, computer-delivered interventions for substance abuse and other risk factors among high-risk parents, especially pregnant and post-partum women. He is currently PI on one CDC and three NIDA research grants focusing on the development and validation of technology-based brief interventions. He is also presently serving as Editor of the journal Child Maltreatment.

Sarah Raz, Ph.D.

Associate Professor at the Merrill Palmer Institute and in the Department of Psychology. Biosketch (PDF)

Dr. Raz's area of research is developmental neuropsychology, with a focus on the effects of adverse events occurring during pregnancy and delivery on the cognitive, behavioral, and neuropsychological outcome of the newborn. Through the study of the influence of birth asphyxia, intrauterine growth retardation, neonatal respiratory distress, and other early insults on outcome, knowledge is gained about brain vulnerability and resilience during early developmental periods.

Valerie Simon, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor at the Merrill Palmer Institute and in the Department of Psychology. Biosketch (PDF)

Dr. Simon's research focuses on investigating the implications of inter-parental conflict and childhood sexual abuse on adolescents’ romantic development. Other interest areas include the development of romantic relationships in normative and atypical populations, sexual development and behavior in adolescence, family and peer processes in development and psychopathology, marital relationships and child adjustment, attachment theory, and adolescent depression.

Ann Stacks, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor at the Merrill Palmer Institute and in the Department of Psychology. Biosketch (PDF)

Dr. Stacks research focuses on the impact of the environment on children's social and emotional development, specifically their attachment representations and behavior at home and school. Other interest areas include factors that promote or inhibit school readiness in children, parent-child interactions, and social-emotional development in children under the age of five who are living in high-risk environments. She has worked as an early childhood therapist and infant mental health specialist in a variety of settings.

Marjorie Beeghly, Ph,D.

Dr. Beeghly is Associate Professor in Psychology and Affiliate Faculty at the Merrill-Palmer Skillman Institute at Wayne State University. She also holds faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital, Boston. Biosketch (PDF)

Dr. Beeghly's research focuses on the impact of risk and resilience factors on children's communicative, cognitive, and socio-emotional outcomes, and how individual differences in parenting and parent-child social interactive processes may alter these associations. In two NICHD-funded longitudinal projects, she is studying how parent-child joint attention and mutual regulatory processes may foster or derail children's positive developmental outcomes in different at-risk groups. Other current interests include the effects of maternal trauma exposure and prenatal substance exposure on mother-child social interaction and children's outcomes, the identification of familial factors that promote early literacy development and school readiness, and the design and implementation of preventive interventions for children growing up in high-risk environments. Dr. Beeghly serves on the Advisory Board of the Infant Mental Health Program at the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute and the Board of Directors of the Boston Institute for the Development of Infants and Parents (BIDIP).

Adjunct Professor

Cathy Jen

Nutrition