Brief Bio

Dr. Thirumurthy is Co-Director of the Penn Development Research Initiative and an Associate Director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, where he leads global health initiatives. He is also Co-Director of the Indlela nudge unit, a behavioral economics research and capacity building initiative in South Africa. Professor Thirumurthy’s interests lie at the intersection of economics and public health. A major goal of his research is to use insights from economics and psychology to design and evaluate interventions that can improve health outcomes in low-income settings. His research has also studied the economic impacts of large-scale health initiatives. Dr. Thirumurthy has led numerous randomized trials of behavioral interventions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.