Associate Professor
Health Behavior 212 Adriance Lab Rd. 1266 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-1266 pma@tamu.edu Phone: 979.436.9520 Google Scholar ProfileScholars@TAMU Profile
Dr. Ma is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the Texas A&M School of Public Health. She has educational background in community health sciences and health promotion, with a research focus on social and environmental determinants of health outcomes (e.g., mental health, chronic diseases) and risk behaviors (e.g., substance use) in underserved populations, including maternal women, adolescents, racial/ethnic minorities, and older Asian populations. Dr. Ma specializes in survey development, mixed methods, and multi-level analysis to identify the mechanisms that drive these adverse health outcomes, which is a critical “success” of shaping effective interventions.
In addition to identifying risk factors, Dr. Ma is dedicated to developing health behavior interventions that incorporate innovative technology (e.g., mobile phone based, social media based), community-based participatory research, and integrated care models, aiming to reduce disparities and improve healthcare access. She has a strong track record of interdisciplinary collaboration with clinical healthcare providers, community organizations, and community health workers. Her work has secured funding from NIH, HRSA, CPRIT, Gulf grants, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other external and internal sources. Dr. Ma teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses, including Grant Writing, Public Health Intervention, and Public Health Evaluation.
