Assistant Professor, Economics

Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 2011
B.S., Duke University, 2004

The research interests of Mariana P. Carrera, PhD, lie in the fields of health economics and behavioral economics. Her recent work is focused on drug prescribing and refill decisions. She investigates how physicians respond to patient copayments and patient price sensitivity when choosing which drug to prescribe, and how the complex variation in copayments across insurance plans can obstruct their response.

Other current projects focus on consumer preferences for brand-name drugs, the responsiveness of hospitals to changes in surgery costs and reimbursements, the effects of an electronic prescribing system on medication costs, and commitment devices for healthier eating. Dr. Carrera obtained her PhD at the University of California-Berkeley in May 2011, and is an adjunct researcher at RAND Corporation.

Selected Publications

• Carrera, M., Joyce, G., Sood, N. (2012). Physician Prescribing Behavior and its Impact on Patient Outcomes American Journal of Managed Care.