Dr. Maja Marcus
Working Group Leader
I am an economist with a focus on global health. My research agenda is to build an evidence basis on improving global access to care for healthy aging. Specifically, I examine how health systems and individuals respond to population aging, the rise of cardiovascular diseases as the leading cause of death globally, the prevention of chronic diseases, and HIV in old age.
In this, my academic profile comprises
i) high-impact, large-scale, interdisciplinary projects – providing evidence on the global state of health care and aging; and
ii) evidence-based impact evaluations of health interventions – using modelling, experimental, and quasi-experimental methods.
Education
Previously, I have been a postdoctoral research fellow working the Harvard Medical School, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. I hold a PhD in Economics and a Master’s degree in Development Economics from the University of Göttingen, as well as a Bachelor degree in Economics from the University of Bonn.
Contributions
Publications
Lead- and Senior-Author Publications
Sulola et al. (2025): Patterns of Traditional Medicine use for the treatment of Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, and High Cholesterol in 71 surveys. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. DOI: 10.2471/BLT.25.293665
Marcus et al. (2025): Left behind? A longitudinal analysis of need for PrEP counselling among middle-aged and older adults in South Africa. AIDS. DOI: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000004283
Marcus et al. (2025): Hypertension and Diabetes Uptake in Adults Aged 40-70 in Indonesia: A Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Study. BMC Global and Public Health. DOI: 10.1186/s44263-025-00157-7
Marcus et al. (2024): The Effect of SMS Reminders on Health Screening Uptake: A Randomized Experiment in Indonesia. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2024.106715
Marcus et al. (2023): Home-based HIV testing strategies for middle-aged and older adults in rural South Africa: a randomized controlled trial. AIDS. DOI: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000003698
Marcus et al. (2022): Use of Statins for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in 41 low-income and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional study of nationally representative, individual-level data. The Lancet Global Health. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00551-9
Marcus et al. (2021): Unmet Need for Hypercholesterolemia Care in 35 Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Cross-sectional Study of Nationally-representative Surveys. PLOS Medicine. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003841
Chavarría et al. (2021): Knowing versus Doing: Protective Health Behavior against COVID-19 in Indonesia. The Journal of Development Studies. DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2021.1898594
Full list of publications on ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4904-2087
Contact Information
E-Mail: maja.marcus@uni-heidelberg.de