Dr. Grace X. Ma, professor of Public Health and director of the Center for Asian Health at Temple, will give a presentation titled "A Community-Based Participatory Approach to a Hepatitis B Intervention for Underserved Korean Americans" at the National Health Institute's Health Disparities Seminar Series on July 19.

In advance of World Hepatitis Day on July 28, 2012, Ma will highlight recent progress, describe the process of engaging church partners and discuss lessons learned for creating successful health promotion programs in Korean churches. She will also emphasize the ability of community-based participatory research to build trust and strengthen both participant communication and the sustainability of interventions.

A cofounder of the first Asian Community Health Coalition in the northeast, Ma has delivered more than 450 presentations and contributed to five books and more than 110 peer-reviewed publications. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Xi'an International Studies University in China and both an Master of Science in mental health and Ph.D. in community health from the University of Oklahoma.

An internationally recognized scholar, Ma's numerous awards include the 2010 Partnership Award from the Nanjing Cancer Survivors Association, the 2009 Outstanding Scientific Publication Award from the National Cancer Institute, the 2008 Distinguished Asian Health Leader Award from Penn Asian Senior Services and the 2005 Martin Luther King Jr. Award in Reducing Health Disparities from the National Institutes of Health.