Catherine Ma, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.
(she/her/hers)
Social-personality psychologist & full professor at Kingsborough Community College
Dr. Catherine Ma is the first Asian full professor of psychology at Kingsborough Community College, City University of New York (CUNY), an active board member of the Asian American/Asian Research Institute of CUNY, the recipient of the 2026 University at Albany’s Alumni Association Cochrane Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award, and the SPSSI 2022 Two-Year College Teaching and Mentoring Excellence Awardee. She earned her Ph.D. and M.Phil. from CUNY’s Graduate Center in social-personality psychology with a certification in interactive technology and pedagogy. Dr. Ma has extensive experience teaching various upper-level psychology courses that include child and adolescence, classroom management, developmental psychology, health psychology, research methods, statistics, and the psychology of immigration.
Her current research explores the impact of introducing antiracist education to education majors entering the Department of Education in New York City. Her scholarship focuses on antiracism pedagogy, the lived experiences of Chinese immigrants, incorporating Asian American studies to teach race-related topics, the impact of the pandemic on academic mothers, colorism, first-generation PhDs of color in academia, Chinese maternal experiences, breastfeeding experiences of first-time mothers, maternal transformations through breastfeeding, and implications of race and class in youth sports.
Her dedication to community and education is exemplified by her ongoing work with Kingsborough’s Women’s Center, student mentoring, mentoring junior faculty from historically underrepresented groups, parenting workshops, and the creation of the Yuet Chun & Tai Yee Ma Memorial Endowment Fund to honor her grandparents that benefits Kingsborough Community College immigrant students in perpetuity.
Dr. Ma is also a co-founder of AAMPOWER (Asian American Mentorship Providing Opportunities to Women for Empowerment and Resilience). This group aims to build a community of practice that offers a safe and inclusive space for discussing and sharing issues concerning the Asian and Asian American experience in higher education. Through mentorship, we hope to foster support, understanding, and growth within the AAPI community.
Positions
Education
- Ph.D., M.Phil., The Graduate Center, City University of New York
- M.A., Hunter College, City University of New York
B.A., The University at Albany, State University of New York
Academic Interests
Dr. Ma’s current research focuses on exploring the impact of introducing antiracist education to education majors entering the Department of Education in New York City. Her scholarship has examined antiracism pedagogy, the lived experiences of Chinese immigrants, incorporating Asian American studies to teach race-related topics, the impact of the pandemic on academic mothers, colorism, first-generation PhDs of color in academia, Chinese maternal experiences, breastfeeding experiences of first-time mothers, maternal transformations through breastfeeding, and implications of race and class in youth sports. Her dedication to community and education is exemplified by her ongoing work with Kingsborough’s Women’s Center, student mentoring, mentoring junior faculty from historically underrepresented groups, parenting workshops, and the creation of the Yuet Chun & Tai Yee Ma Memorial Endowment Fund to honor her grandparents that benefits Kingsborough Community College immigrant students in perpetuity.
Publications
Pedagogy Scholarship:
Ma, C. (2026). Trial by Fire: Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Teaching Psychology. In R. Totton & C. Sanderson (Eds.) Teaching Introduction to Psychology. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Ma, C. (2021). Incorporating Antiracist Education Using Aspects of Asian American Studies to Teach about Race and Discrimination. In L. Parson & C. Ozaki (Eds.) Teaching and Learning for Social Justice and Equity in Education (pp. 297-316). Palgrave Macmillan.Race Scholarship:
Race Scholarship:
Ma, C. (2026). One Angry Chinese Woman’s Journey from Anti-Blackness to Teaching Antiracism. In H. Storhy & B. Aronson (Eds.) Asian and Latinx Anti-Blackness in Schools and Communities: Complicated Stories of Complicity and Resistance. Myers Education Press.
Ma, C. & Thompson, K. V. (2020). Sister, Sister, Never Knew How Much I Missed Ya! In J. Sablan & J. Van Galen (Eds.) Amplified Voices, Intersecting Identities: First-Generation PhDs Navigating Institutional Power in Early Academic Careers (pp. 79-88). Brill | Sense Publishers.
Ma, C. (2020). Sang Duc Ho. In N. Khanna (ed), Whiter: Asian American Women on Skin Color and Colorism (pp. 52-54). New York, NY: NYU Press.
Ma, C. (2018). Quit Calling My Kid, Yao Ming: Reflections of Race and Class From a Chinese Basketball Mom. In J. Battaglia, R. Bromwich, & P. Redela (Eds.), Mothering, Mothers, and Sport: Experiences, Representations, and Resistances (pp. 67-86). Demeter Press.
Breastfeeding Scholarship:
Ma, C. (2020). Breast Work: My Breasts Deserve a Trip to Hawaii for All the Work They’ve Done Nursing. In P. Drew and R. Edwards (Eds.), Breasts Across Motherhood: Lived Experiences and Critical Examinations (pp. 179-192). Demeter Press.
Ma, C. (2018). I’m MY Breastfeeding Expert: How First-Time Mothers Reclaimed their Power through Breastfeeding. In A. Einion and J. Rinaldi (Eds.), Bearing the Weight of the World: Exploring Maternal Embodiment (pp. 203-219). Demeter Press.
Ma, C. (2016). A Critical Examination of Breastfeeding Education: A Qualitative Analysis of How First Time Mothers Learn About Breastfeeding. The Journal of Mother Studies, 1, 1-23.
Ma, C. (2009). If the Breast is Best, Why are Breastfeeding Rates So Low? An In-depth Look at Breastfeeding from Policy Makers to the Bottom Dollar. In J. Nathanson and L. Tuley (Eds.) Mother Knows Best: Talking Back to the “Experts” (pp. 91-102). Association for Research on Mothering (ARM)/Demeter Press.
Maternal Scholarship:
Ma, C. (2025). AITA: Navigating Between Chinese and American Dating Belief Systems Between Two Generations and Two Cultures. In M. Bhave, T. Esnard, and K. Solomon’s Mothering Teens and Young Adults. Demeter Press.
Ma, C. (2022). A Balancing Act: Unlearning and Embracing Chinese Immigrant Mothering. Journal of the Motherhood Initiative, Vol. 13, No. 2. 213-226.
Ma, C. (2022). A Balancing Act: Unlearning and Embracing Chinese Immigrant Mothering. Journal of the Motherhood Initiative, Vol. 13, No. 2. 213-226.Ma, C. (2022). Chinese Mothers Creating a Community of Maternal Support. In D. Kuwabong, D. Smith Silva, & E. Diaz’s Mothering, Community, and Friendship (pp.153-166). Demeter Press.
Ma, C. (2021). And Who Are You? One Chinese Mother’s Journey from Advocating for Her Children to Maternal Empowerment. In R. Bannerjee & K. Mukhida (Eds.) Band-Aids to Scalpels: Motherhood Experiences in/of Medicine (pp. 33-42). Demeter Press.
Ma, C. (2020). Reflections of a Chinese Academic Mom Struggling to Survive a Pandemic. Journal of the Motherhood Initiative, double issue, Vol. 11, No. 2 / Vol. 12, No. 1. 125-137.
Ma, C. (2017). The Varying Degrees of Ferocity in Performing Mothering as a Chinese American Mother. The Journal of Mother Studies, 2, 1-13.
