Zhiying Ma is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Anthropology and a postdoctoral fellow at the Society of Fellows, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. She received her PhD from the Department of Comparative Human Development and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Chicago. Trained as a cultural and medical anthropologist, Prof. Ma is interested in how cultural, politico-economic, and technological factors shape the design and implementation of social policies, and how national policies and global development initiatives in turn impact health in/equity, vulnerability, and rights. Her current research projects focus on people with serious mental illnesses and other disabilities in China. She has received fellowships from the Mellon Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation/ACLS, the Ford Foundation, the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation, the Association for Asian Studies, and the Lemelson Foundation, among others.Having grown up in China with a physical disability, Prof. Ma is firmly committed to using engaged scholarship to promote the wellbeing and dignity of marginalized populations. She has been involved in policy advocacy in areas of mental health, gender and disability rights, and medical ethics. She has participated in collaborative research and actions on these topics.In July 2018, Prof. Ma will return to the University of Chicago as a tenure-track assistant professor at the School of Social Service Administration.