About Rayner Kay Jin Tan
Dr Rayner Kay Jin TAN (he/him) is an Assistant Professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, where received his PhD. He concurrently holds a position as visiting research fellow at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in Singapore. He is a sociobehavioral researcher by training. His research interests revolve broadly about the social determinants of health, community engagement, implementation science, and health equity of vulnerable communities. To date, he has published more than 80 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including The Lancet, The Lancet Global Health, Clinical Infectious Diseases, JAMA Network Open, International Journal of Drug Policy, and the Journal of the International AIDS Society.
Rayner was a recipient of the Fulbright Visiting Research Scholarship for the academic year 2022/2023 and is receiving training in implementation sciences as a fellow of the HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Health Implementation Research Institute (HIGH-IRI) of the Washington University in St. Louis. He is currently deputy editor of a leading HIV scientific journal, the Journal of the International AIDS Society, an Academic Editor at PLOS Global Public Health, and a perspectives editor at the BMJ journal, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI). He also actively contributes to the organizing and scientific committees of international HIV and STI-related conferences, including being an organising committee member at the International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference 2023 in Brisbane, organising and scientific committee member for the Asia-Pacific AIDS and Co-Infections Conference (APACC) 2023 (Singapore) and 2024 (Hong Kong), and early career researcher committee co-chair at the International Union Against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI) World Congress 2024 in Sydney.
He leads several community-based organizations in the region as well. He currently is the president of Project X Society serving the health and social needs of sex workers, and a Director at The Greenhouse Community Services Limited, a charity providing substance use recovery services for marginalized groups in Singapore. He also currently serves as the Treasurer for the Society of Behavioural Health, Singapore and a co-lead at SG Mental Health Matters. He is currently a co-lead of Project Hayat, a community-led initiative to develop a national suicide prevention strategy in Singapore.
Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) | Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS, Singapore (2023 - Present)
Postdoctoral Fellow | Project China, Institute of Global Health and Infectious Disease, Guangzhou, China (2021 - Present)
Visiting Research Fellow | Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore (2021 - Present)
Visiting Research Fellow | Infectious Diseases Research and Training Office, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore (2021 - Present)
Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, United States (2023 - 2023)
Visiting Scholar | Columbia Population Research Centre, Columbia University in the City of New York, New York, United States (2021 - 2021)
Postdoctoral Fellow | Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore (2021 - 2021)
PhD Candidate | Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore (2017-2021)
Administrative Leadership
Advisor | Rainbow+ (2023-Present)
Treasurer | Society of Behavioural Health, Singapore (2022-2024)
President | Project X Society (2021-Present)
Advisor | HeHealth.ai (2021-Present)
Co-Lead | SG Mental Health Matters (2020-Present)
Chairman & Director | The Greenhouse Community Services Ltd (2020-Present)
Vice President | Society of Behavioural Health, Singapore (2022-2024)
Treasurer | Society of Behavioural Health, Singapore (2019-2022)
Pro-Tem Treasurer | Society of Behavioural Health, Singapore (2018-2019)
Other Professional Contributions
Co-Chair | Singapore AIDS Conference 2024 (2024-Present)
Member | AIDS 2024 Key Population Pre-Conference Planning Committee (2024-Present)
Member | National University of Singapore Institutional Review Board (2024-Present)
Early Career Researcher Committee Co-Chair | IUSTI World Congress 2024 Organising Committee (2023-Present)
Young Impact Leader Advisory Committee Member | AVPN Asian Youth Mental Wellbeing Fund (2023-Present)
Member | Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC) Scientific Committee (2022-Present)
Member | Singapore AIDS Conference 2022 Organizing Committee (2022-Present)
Grant Panellist | Ministry of Health Office for Healthcare Transformation Movements for Health (M4H) (2021-Present)
Steering Committee Member | Go Youth! Global Open Call on Youth Voices, SESH Global (2022-2022)
Member | Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC) 2022 Organizing Committee (2022-2022)
Abstract Reviewer | Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC) 2022 (2022-2022)
Abstract Reviewer | 12th International AIDS Conference (2022-2022)
Member | Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC) 2021 Organizing Committee (2021-2021)
Rapporteur | Rapporteur (Track D: Social, behavioral and implementation science), 11th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (2021-2021)
Mentor | Imagine the World Anew: A Call for Youth Voices on COVID-19 in Malaysia, Impact Hub (2021-2021)
Mentor | Asia-Pacific Public Health Challenge 2021, International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (2021-2021)
Member | Department Ethics Review Committee, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (2020-2021)
Member | Singapore AIDS Conference 2020 Organizing Committee (2020-2020)
Abstract Mentor | 11th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (2020-2020)
Lead | Persons Who Use Drugs, Blueprint to End HIV (AFA) (2019-2020)
Abstract Mentor | 23rd International AIDS Conference (2019-2019)
Abstract Mentor | 10th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (2018-2018)
Honors, Scholarships & Fellowships
Gilead HIV Research Scholarship 2023 | Gilead Sciences
Fulbright Visiting Scholar Award 2022-2023 | United States Department of State
Digital International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research Champion | International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research
HIV Infectious Disease and Global Health Implementation Research Institute (HIGH IRI) Fellow | Washing University in St. Louis (2022)
Social Innovation in Health Initiative Youth Champion 2022 | Social Innovation in Health Initiative (2022)
Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar Award 2022-2023 | United States Department of State (2022)
Prestige 40 Under 40 Laureate 2021 | Prestige Singapore (2021)
Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC) Fellowship | Virology Education (2020)
Singapore Population Health Improvement Centre (SPHERiC) Fellowship | National University Health System (2019)
The Courage Fund Ph.D. (Infectious Disease) Scholarship | The Courage Fund Limited (2017)
Ho See Beng Scholarship (Social Sciences) | Singapore Management University (2016)
Other Academic Awards
SSHSPH Graduate Student Teaching Award | National University of Singapore (2021)
NUS Society (NUSS) Medal for Outstanding Achievement, Class of 2021 | National University of Singapore (2021)
SSHSPH Infectious Disease Programme Symposium Best Presenter | National University of Singapore (2020)
SSHSPH Graduate Student Teaching Award | National University of Singapore (2020)
SSHSPH Graduate Research Student Award (Epidemiology) | National University of Singapore (2019)
DBS Bank School Valedictorian Award in Social Sciences | Singapore Management University (2016)
Singapore Management University CIRCLE Award | Singapore Management University (2016)
Ho See Beng Excellence Award (Top sociology graduate) | Singapore Management University (2016)
Helen Chua Chin Xiang Best Senior Thesis in Sociology | Singapore Management University (2016)
Professor Tan Teck Meng Endeavour Award | Singapore Management University (2015)
Luxasia Vitality Innovativeness & Enterprising Spirit (VIE) Award | Singapore Management University (2015)
Dean’s List, School of Social Sciences | Singapore Management University (2015)
Standard Chartered Best First Year Business Student Award | Singapore Management University (2010)
Dean’s List, Lee Kong Chian School of Business | Singapore Management University (2010)
Editorial Boards
Deputy Editor | Journal of the International AIDS Society (2023-Present)
Academic Editor | PLOS Global Public Health (2023-Present)
Perspectives Panel | Sexually Transmitted Infections (2019-Present)
Associate Editor | Social Determinants of Health, BMC Public Health (2020-2023)
Teaching Experience
Course Coordinator | SSHSPH, NUS: Qualitative Methods in Public Health (2024-Present)
Guest Lecturer | SSHSPH, NUS: Mental Health: An Interdisciplinary Approach (2023-Present)
Guest Lecturer | SSHSPH, NUS: Health, Society and the Social Determinants (2021-Present)
Guest Lecturer | SSHSPH, NUS: Qualitative Methods in Public Health (Observational methods) (2020-Present)
Facilitator | SSHSPH, NUS: Introduction to Qualitative Methods Workshop (2021-2021)
Guest lecturer | SSHSPH, NUS: Social Theory Training Workshop (2021-2021)
Teaching Assistant | SSHSPH, NUS: Health, Society and the Social Determinants (2018-2021)
Guest Lecturer | Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS: Medical Sociology (Social epidemiology) (2020-2020)
Guest Lecturer | SSHSPH, NUS: Public Health in Singapore (HIV) (2020-2020)
Teaching Assistant | SSHSPH, NUS: Public Health Research Methods (2019-2020)
Guest Lecturer | SSHSPH, NUS: Health, Society and the Social Determinants (Ageing; Gender) (2018-2020)
Teaching Assistant | SSHSPH, NUS: Public Health in Action (2018-2018)
Co-Facilitator | Tan Tock Seng Hospital: Techniques for in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (2018-2018)
Teaching Assistant | School of Social Sciences, SMU: Public Management in Developing Countries (2016-2016)
Teaching Assistant | School of Social Sciences, SMU: Gender and Family (2016-2016)