Dr Karen Ma

Karen is a Research Associate at the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare working on an NIHR-funded realist review exploring the effective expression of empathy in digital healthcare consultations. She is a chartered psychologist with experience in applying behavioural science theories and frameworks to develop digital health interventions.

Karen completed her undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences and master’s degree in Psychology and Education at the University of Cambridge. Her PhD in Medical Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong was fully funded by the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship (HKPFS). She also worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge. 

Karen is an experienced mixed-methods researcher and is recognised for her expertise in evidence synthesis. She also has experience in the development and evaluation of complex interventions in community and healthcare settings, incorporating community-based participatory methods to coproduce research and interventions with public involvement.

Her research interests have mostly focused on child and adolescent mental health, ranging from epidemiology to digital interventions. In her previous postdoctoral project, she conducted a scoping review to systematically map the evidence gaps for parental barriers and facilitators influencing children's opportunities for risky play in the UK. The findings were used to guide the development of a digital risk-reframing intervention aimed at changing parental attitudes towards risky play. This built on her previous experience of developing and evaluating a mindfulness-based psychoeducation app to improve the wellbeing of parents of children with autism during her PhD.

Ma, K.K.Y., van Sluijs, E., Dodd, H.F. et al. (2026). Parental psychological distress and their attitudes to and tolerance of risky play: Findings from two nationally representative, cross-sectional surveys in Britain. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. Doi: 10.1123/jpah.2025-0755. 

Chan, S.S.M., Wong, O.W.H., Hussain, S., Tsoi, K.K.F., Ma, K.K.Y. et al. (2025). Twelve-month prevalence of DSM-5 mental disorders and the psychosocial correlates- a child and adolescent psychiatric epidemiologic survey in Hong Kong SAR. The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific, 57, 101533. Doi: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101533. 

Wong, O.W.H., Chan, S.S.M., Chau, S.W.H., …, Ma, K.K.Y. et al. (2025). Autism epidemiology in Hong Kong children and youths aged 6-17: Implications on autism screening and sex differences in the community. Autism, 29(11), 2872-2884. Doi: 10.1177/13623613251360269.

Ma, K.K.Y., Anderson, J.K. and Burn, A.-M. (2023), Review: School-based interventions to improve mental health literacy and reduce mental health stigma – a systematic review. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 28(2), 230-240. Doi: 10.1111/camh.12543.

Ma, K.K.Y., Burn, A.-M. and Anderson, J.K. (2023), Review: School-based mental health literacy interventions to promote help-seeking – a systematic review. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 28(3), 408-424. Doi: 10.1111/camh.12609. 

UK Public Health Science Conference 2026 (Newcastle, UK)
Poster presentation: "Scoping review of parental factors shaping opportunities for children’s risky play in the UK"

International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) Annual Conference 2025 (Auckland, NZ)
Oral presentation: "Associations between parental self-reported psychological distress and parental attitudes to risk in play of 2-4-year-old children in the UK"

Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Conference 2023 (London, UK)
Poster presentation: "Exploration of challenges and needs in caregiving for autism spectrum disorder in Hong Kong from the perspective of healthcare professionals: a qualitative study"

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Annual Conference 2023 (Rotorua, NZ)
Poster presentation: "Developing a mindfulness-based parenting mobile app intervention tailored for parents and caregivers of special needs children with autism spectrum disorder"