Marcia has helped to form numerous public policies from the development of qualitative methods in health and ethnography. Most notably, she has consulted on projects related to the formulation of public policies in the Bolsa Familia Program, More Childhood Program, and Grow with Your Child Program. She has developed new methodologies to evaluate the changes that occur after the implementation of these programs.
Throughout her career, Marcia has changed the behavior of women toward breastfeeding. For generations, she has been the reference to help women breastfeed their children. In Fortaleza, Brazil, where she lives, she is well known by mothers and grandmothers who have relied on her help, and nurses who were trained and inspired by her work. Her work has changed the lives of mothers and of children who were able to have a better development because they were breastfed. Now in academia, Marcia was dean of extension (the first woman ever to be nominated for that position) at the Federal University of Ceara. She is currently engaged in research and training of the next generation of nurses and scholars, dedicated to maternal health and early childhood development. Her work continues to change the lives of mothers and children.