Prof. Ma holds several portfolios and they include: Professor and Chairperson, Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). The Director, Family and Group Practice Research Centre, Department of Social Work, CUHK. She is also the Founder and Consulting Family Therapist, Shengang (深港) Family Treatment Center, Department of Social Work, CUHK & Department of Clinical Psychology Department, Nanshan Hospital, Shenzhen, China

She had published a total of 62 international, regional and local refereed journals, 14 refereed book chapters, 2 single-author books (in Chinese), 1 edited book, 26 invited/refereed conference proceedings, 8 research reports, 3 book reviews, 1 practice manual and 13 non-refereed articles.

Her areas of specialization include Family therapy and family therapy research, mental health with recent focus in eating disorders, clinical social work practice and research, and family study.

Her publications include:

1. Ma, J. L. C. (2000). Treatment expectation and treatment experience of Chinese families toward family therapy: Appraisal of a common belief. Journal of Family Therapy, 22, 296-307.
2. Ma, J. L. C. (2001). Adolescents and Family Therapy. Taiwan: Wu Nan Book Company. (In Chinese).
3. Ma, J. L. C. J., Chow, M. Y., Lee, S., & Lai, K. (2002). Family meaning of self-starvation: Themes discerned in family treatment in Hong Kong. Journal of Family Therapy, 24(1), 57-71. (Download from Wiley Online Library)
4. Ma, J. L. C. J., Lai, K. & Pun, S. H. (2002). Parenting distress and parental investment of Hong Kong Chinese parents with a child having an emotional or behavioral problem: A qualitative study. Child and Family Social Work, 7(2), 99-106. (abstract)
5. Ma, J. L. C. & Chan, Z. C. Y. (2003). The different meanings of food in Chinese patients suffering from anorexia nervosa: Implications for clinical social work practice. Social Work in Mental Health, 2(1), 47-70.
6. Ma, J. L. C. (2005). Family treatment for Chinese families with an adolescent suffering from anorexia nervosa: A case study. Family Journal, 13(1), 19-26.(abstract )
7. Ma, J. L. C. (2005). The diagnostic and therapeutic uses of family conflicts in a Chinese context: The case of anorexia nervosa. Journal of Family Therapy, 27, 24-42.
8. Ma, J. L. C. & Lai, K. (2006) Perceived treatment effectiveness of family therapy for Chinese patients suffering from anorexia nervosa: A qualitative inquiry. Journal of Family Social Work. 10(2), 59-74. (abstract)
9. Ma, J. L. C. (2007). Living in poverty: a qualitative inquiry of emaciated adolescents and young women coming from low-income families in a Chinese context. Child and Family Social Work, 12, 152-160.
10. Ma, J. L. C. (2007). Journey of acculturation: developing a therapeutic alliance with Chinese adolescents suffering from eating disorders in Shenzhen, China. Journal of Family Therapy, 29, 389-402. (abstract)

Workshop Abstract