Ma was born in Shenyang, Liaoning in September 1958,[1] while her ancestral home in Pingding County, Shanxi.
[1] In 1984 she obtained her master of immunology degree from China Medical University (PRC).
[1] Then she pursued advanced studies in the United States, earning her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of North Carolina in 1990.
[1] Ma returned to China in 1995 and that same year became professor at Shanghai Medical College.
Ma is married to Pei Gang, who is also a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).