Rayner Tan Kay Jin

Assistant Professor

Email rayner.tan@nus.edu.sg
Website
LinkedIn
Twitter

TAN, Rayner Kay Jin

Dr Rayner Kay Jin Tan is Assistant Professor and leads The Courage Lab at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore. He is an implementation researcher and applied social scientist with expertise in community engagement in health and health equity as applied in the fields of infectious diseases, mental health, and LGBTQ+ health.

He is deputy editor at the Journal of the International AIDS Society and Global LGBTQ+ Health, and serves as Associate Editor at Implementation Science Communications, the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, and the Asia Pacific Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

Rayner has extensive experience leading international academic conferences and professional networks, especially in the fields of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, behavioural health, and implementation science. He is currently the co-chair of the Asia Pacific AIDS and Co-Infections Conference 2026 and the local chair of the International Congress of Behavioral Medicine 2027.

He is Head of Research at The Greenhouse, a charity offering substance use recovery services, a board member of Project X serving the needs of sex workers, co-lead at SG Mental Health Matters to spur public engagement in mental health policymaking, Vice President of the Society of Behavioural Health Singapore, and Communications Director of the International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections

Affiliation

  • Assistant Professor, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (Primary)
  • Assistant Professor, Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (Joint)
  • Research Associate, Centre for Family and Population Research, NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Research Areas

  • Health equity and the social determinants of health
  • Social epidemiology
  • Medical Sociology
  • Community engagement and participatory approaches
  • Implementation science
  • HIV and other sexually transmitted infections
  • Social and behavioural dimensions of infectious diseases
  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Mental disorders and substance use
  • Stigma and Health
  • Suicide

Teaching Areas

  • Qualitative research methods
  • Mixed methods research methods
  • Principles and fundamentals of implementation research
  • Application of social theory in public health
  • Stigma and health
  • HIV and other sexually transmitted infections

Academic/Professional Qualifications

  • PhD (Public Health), Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore
  • BSocSc (Sociology), School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University

Awards/Honours

  • NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health Young Researcher Award (2026)
  • S R Nathan Fellowship Young Leader, Institute of Policy Studies, NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (2025)
  • ASEAN Youth Fellowship (2024)
  • Gilead Research Scholars Program in HIV (2023)
  • Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar Award 2022-2023, United States Department of State (2022)
  • HIV Infectious Disease and Global Health Implementation Research Institute (HIGH IRI) Fellowship, Washington University in St. Louis (2022)
  • NUS Society (NUSS) Medal for Outstanding Achievement, Class of 2021, National University of Singapore (2021)
  • Prestige 40 Under 40 (2021)
  • Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC) Fellowship, Virology Education (2020)
  • Singapore Population Health Improvement Centre (SPHERiC) Fellowship, National University Health System (2019)
  • Social Innovation in Health Initiative Fellowship, Social Innovation in Health Initiative (2022)

Career History

  • 2021-2023: Visiting Research Fellow, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore
  • 2021-2023: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of North Carolina Project-China, Guangzhou, China
  • 2021-2021: Visiting Scholar, Columbia Population Research Centre, Columbia University in the City of New York
  • 2021-2021: Postdoctoral Fellow, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore

Administrative Leadership (Current)

Directorships and Corporate Governance

  • Vice-President, Society of Behavioural Health, Singapore
  • Communications Director¸ International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections
  • Board Member, Project X Society
  • Head of Research, The Greenhouse Community Services Ltd
  • Co-Lead, Singapore Mental Health Matters

Professional/Consulting Activities (Current)

Editorial Roles

  • Deputy Editor, Global LGBTQ+ Health
  • Deputy Editor, Journal of the International AIDS Society
  • Associate Editor, Implementation Science Communications
  • Associate Editor, Asia Pacific Journal of Lifestyle Medicine
  • Associate Editor, International Journal of Behavioral Medicine

Advisory Roles

  • Advisor, The Majurity Trust
  • Member, Real Impact Advisors Advisory Council
  • Advisor, Octava Foundation White Paper on Mental Health and Wellbeing for Children
  • Advisor, Equity Initiative Mental Health Equity Environmental Scan across Southeast Asia
  • Member, Stigma and Rare Diseases Task Force, International Rare Diseases Research Consortium
  • Member, Asian Society for Implementation Science Planning Committee

Scientific Conferences and Events

  • Scientific Committee Member, Behavioural and Implementation Sciences in Health, Asia Conference 2026
  • Scientific Committee Member, Singapore HIV, Hepatitis, and STI Congress 2026
  • Local Organising Chair, International Congress of Behavioral Medicine 2027, Singapore
  • Conference Co-Chair, Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC) 2026,
  • Community Outreach Chair, IUSTI World Congress 2026 Organising Committee, Prague
  • Co-Chair, Singapore AIDS Conference

Selected Publications

  • Mu R., Ho V. X. H., Toh S. L., Koh S. Y. H., Pancadarma N. B. S., Kang A., Tan R. K. J.*, Howard, N. (2026). “We are already naked”: an ethnographic study of migrant sex-workers’ marginalisation under medical surveillance in Singapore. Social Science and Medicine.
  • Nguyen, M. X., Yin, Z., Liu, Y., Bradley, C. D., Geng, E., ItoFukunaga, M., Mbeye, N. M., Tan, R. K. J., Hanley, S., Sundararajan, R., Tucker, J. D.* (2026). Community engagement and implementation science: a hermeneutic review for implementation scientists. Implementation Science Communications. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43058-026-00886-2.
  • Chong, S. Y.*, Chong, N., Goh, L. S., Ho, D. W. S., Hsu, H., Liao, J., Teh, A., Wee, Y. X., Eng, V. C. Y., Tan, R. K. J. (2026). Rethinking practice guidelines for supporting LGBTQIA+ health service use. The Lancet Global Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(25)00519-4.
  • Naidu, K.N.C., Ong, C., Tan, R.K.J*, Le, T., Chia, S. C., Pang, T. C. C., Achuleta, S., Olszyna, D. (2025). The Role of PrEP Initiation on Depression Severity, HIV-Related Anxiety, HIV Stigma, and PrEP Stigma Among Sexual Minority Men in Singapore: Findings from a Prospective Cohort and Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study. AIDS and Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-025-04964-9
  • Paterson, A.*, Kondwani, K. M., Cheyne, A., Kabajaasi, O., Sarkar, T., Dimitrios, K. G., Tulunay, H., Adiukwu, F. N., Alatrany, S. S., Mamaghani, E. A., Barberia, L. G., Bu, H., Chikura-Dlamini, P., Dunning, J., Gregorio, E. R. Jr., Hassan, M. Z., Hoassain, M. B., Jamrozik, E., Mistry, S. K., Mwima, G. A., Nochaiwong, S., Nutland, W., Orkin, C., Rahman, C. I., Roelen, K., Ryu, S., Schilling, S., Sentongo, H. L., Sekikongo, M. T., Stangl, A. L., Ssewankambo, Y., Sukmaningrum, E., Tan, R. K. J., Taylor, S., Torres, T. S., Tomczyk, S., Wang, X., Jones, B., Chowdhury, K. I. A., Khan, M. S. I., Akib, W. R., Satter, S. M., Kenya-Mugisha, N., Stolow, J., Gobat, N., Olliaro, P., Rojek, A. (2025). The (Re)-emerging and EPidemic Infectious Diseases (RAPID) Stigma Scales: a cross-outbreak scale development and psychometric validation study. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(25)00161-6.
  • Chong, S. Y.*, Goh, L, Lye, G. W. Y., Wee, Y. X., Tan, B. X. H., Ho, D. W. S., Puvaneyshwaran, D., Low, A. J., Kumar, N. K., S., Hsu, H., Neo, P. H. M., Tan, R. K. J. (2025). Embedding Intersectionality Values In Citizen Science Research: The Socio-Scientific Progression by Leveraging on Intersectionality and Citizen-led Equity-driven (SPLICE) Research Framework. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069251337936.
  • Janhavi, A., Gan, G., Endo, A., Tan, R. K. J., Prem, K.*, Dickens, B. L. (2025). Is Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific ready for potential monkeypox virus outbreaks? The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101526.
  • Toh S. L., Koh S. Y. H., Pancadarma N. B. S., Kang A., Ho V. X. H., Lee Y. Y., Wong C. S., West B. S., Tan R. K. J.*, Lee P. H. (2025). Blind Spots in Community-Based Participatory Research with Sex Workers in Singapore: Lessons Learned and Assumptions Uncovered in the Context of a Diverse, Hierarchical, and Stigmatized Key Population. Sexual Health. https://doi.org/10.1071/SH24201.
  • Zhao, R., Fairley, C. K., Cook, A. R., Phanuphak, N., He, S., Tieosapjaroen, W., Chow, E. P. F., Phillips, T. R., Tan, R. K. J., Wei, Y., Shen, M., Zhuang, G.,Ong, J. J., Zhang, L. (2024). Optimizing HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis and testing strategies in men who have sex with men in Australia, Thailand and China: a modelling study and cost-effectiveness analysis. The Lancet Global Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(23)00536-3.
  • Tan R. K. J.*, Campbell L., Azevedo V., Patrão A. L., dos Reis A. P., Bravo R. G., Olumide A., Adebayo E., Osiberu A., Francis J. M., Marks M., Shamu S., Eleuteri S., Sahakyan S., Nobre P., Shah S. J., Abdelhamed A., Tucker J. D. (2024). Intimate partner violence in the late COVID-19 period: A study of 10 countries from the I-SHARE consortium. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2024.2431731.
  • Tan, Q. H., Tan, R. K. J.* (2024). Chemsex as lines of flight? Critical Deleuzean perspectives on chemical intimacies. International Journal of Drug Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104508.
  • Tan, B. X. H., Chong, S. Y., Ho, D. W. S., Wee, Y. X., Jamal, M. H., Tan, R. K. J.* (2024). Fostering citizen-engaged HIV implementation science. Journal of the International AIDS Society. https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.26278.
  • Hu, A.*, Neo, P., Soon, A., Tan, H., He, Y., Tan, R. K. J. (2024). The social construction of mental illness stigma amongst Asians: A systematic review and meta-ethnography. Social Science and Medicine-Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2024.100371.
  • Mody, A.*, Sohn, A. H., Tan, R. K. J., Iwuji, C., Venter, F, Geng, E. (2023). HIV: epidemiology, prevention, treatment, and strategies for public health. The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01381-8.
  • Tan, R. K. J.*, Phua, K., Tan, A., Gan, D. C. G., Ho, L. P., Ong, E. J., See, M. T. (2021). Exploring the role of trauma in underpinning sexualised drug use (‘chemsex’) among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Singapore. International Journal of Drug Policy, 97, 103333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103333

View his full list of publications here.

Media Coverage

View his full CV here.

Back to Faculty Directory
Scroll to Top