Her research interests mainly focus on the outcomes research, particularly innovative applications of statistical methods in clinical studies. She has successfully integrated robust study design and statistical methodology with subject-specific expertise, and developed innovative methods in trajectory testing, biomarker selection, and growth modeling in malnourished children.

Dr. Ma has served as a PI, co-PI, and co-Investigator in many federal and foundation funded studies and collaborated with numerous clinical investigators in a broad range of clinical and biomedical studies for more than 25 years. In these studies, Dr. Ma has led the biostatistical efforts and contributed significantly from study conception and design to final scientific reporting. Besides collaborative research activities, she currently serves as a co-director of the Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) core of the UVA CTSA (iTHRIV), and co-PI of a NIH funded project to investigate the causal effects of physiological factors on renal outcomes using machine learning methods.