About Rayner Kay Jin Tan

Rayner Kay Jin Tan is an Assistant Professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, and holds a joint Assistant Professorship with the Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. He is also a research associate with the Centre for Family and Population Research, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, at the same university.

Rayner co-leads The Courage Lab, a community of scholars whose work centres lived experience and community engagement to promote health equity and the health of vulnerable communities in Singapore. He is an implementation researcher and applied social scientist with a keen interest in sexualized substance use, intersections of mental health and HIV, LGBTQ+ health, demedicalization and person-centred approaches to HIV prevention and treatment.

Rayner also serves the scientific community through several editorial roles. He is a Deputy Editor at both the Journal of the International AIDS Society and Global LGBTQ+ Health, as well as an 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 a Governing Council Member representing Asia and the Pacific at the International AIDS Society, member of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Sexually Transmitted Infections, Communications Director of the International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections. He is Co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific AIDS and Co-Infections Conference and the Local Chair of the International Congress of Behavioral Medicine 2027.

Rayner leads and contributes to several non-profits and professional organizations. He is 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 policy making, and Vice President of the Society of Behavioural Health, Singapore. He was previously Chairperson and a director of The Greenhouse Community Services Limited, which offers substance use recovery services for marginalized communities in Singapore. He has served as an advisor for public and non-profit entities, including The Majurity Trust, Real Impact Advisors, Asian Venture Philanthropy Network, the Ministry of Health, Singapore, and the Wellcome Trust.

Beyond research, music has run through Rayner’s life from the start. A choir section leader in his school years, he went on to sing baritone in TONE, a national-championship-winning a cappella quintet in Singapore’s late-2000s scene, where he served as the group’s resident arranger and co-produced its self-staged concerts, including a sold-out debut at the Esplanade Recital Studio. At university, he was frontman of a rock outfit Sixth Avenue and the band Wednesday Morning on SMU SoundFoundry’s Starry Nite stage, while as the club’s Program Manager he pioneered its first Unplugged acoustic concert and assisted production for university-based events. He later worked briefly on the industry side of music, managing tours and marketing for a Singaporean electropop artist across North America.

As a neurodivergent individual who has grown up with AuDHD and Tourette’s Syndrome, music remains one of his deepest sources of joy and regulation. Earlier influences include the layered atmospherics of Zero 7, Télépopmusik and Röyksopp on one hand, and the dancefloor pull of Benny Benassi, Fedde Le Grand and Enur’s “Calabria” on the other. After a long hiatus, he has returned to music at the point where those two strands meet: a fledgling DJ with a little dabbling in music production, slowly building a portfolio of mixes and remixes. Link to SoundCloud in the navigation bar.

Academic Appointments

Present Appointments

Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) | Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS, Singapore (2023 - Present)

Assistant Professor (Joint, Honorary) | Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions, School of Medicine, NUS (2024 - Present)

Scientific Mentor/Faculty | Capacity development for HIV and mental health research in Asia (CHIMERA) D43, Foundation for AIDS Research, NY, United States (2025 - Present)

Research Associate | Centre for Family and Population Research, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS (2024 - Present)

Past Appointments

Affiliate | Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions, School of Medicine, NUS (2024 - 2026)

Visiting Research Fellow | Infectious Diseases Research and Training Office, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore (2021 - 2024)

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)

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)

Directorships and Executive Committee Contributions

Present Appointments

Vice-President | Society of Behavioural Health, Singapore (2026-Present)

Communications Director | International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (2025-Present)

Board Member | Project X Society (2025-Present)

Head of Research | The Greenhouse Community Services Ltd (2025-Present)

Co-Lead | SG Mental Health Matters (2020-Present)

Past Appointments

Treasurer | Society of Behavioural Health, Singapore (2024-2026)

President | Project X Society (2021-2025)

Advisor | Rainbow+ (2023-2024)

Advisor | HeHealth.ai (2021-2024)

Chairman & Director | The Greenhouse Community Services Ltd (2020-2025)

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)

University Service

Present Appointments

Member | National University of Singapore Institutional Review Board (2024-Present)

Member | Department Ethics Review Committee, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS (2024-Present)

Member | Department Ethics Review Committee, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS (2020-2021)

Past Appointments

Member | Department Ethics Review Committee, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS (2020-2021)

Editorial Roles

Present Appointments

Deputy Editor | Global LGBTQ+ Health (2026-Present)

Editorial Review Board | International Journal of Qualitative Methods (2025-Present)

Associate Editor | Asia Pacific Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (2025-Present)

Associate Editor | International Journal of Behavioral Medicine (2024-Present)

Deputy Editor | Journal of the International AIDS Society (2023-Present)

Past Appointments

Academic Editor | PLOS Global Public Health (2023-2024)

Perspectives Panel | Sexually Transmitted Infections (2019-2024)

Associate Editor | Social Determinants of Health, BMC Public Health (2020-2023)

Advisory Boards, Expert Panels, and Expert Opinion

Present Appointments

Member | Real Impact Advisors Advisory Council (2025-Present)

Member | Stigma and Rare Diseases Task Force, International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (2025-Present)

Member | Department Ethics Review Committee, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS (2024-Present)

Member | Octava Foundation White Paper on Mental Health and Wellbeing for Children Advisory Panel (2025-Present)

Past Appointments

Member | Agency for Care Effectiveness Consumer Panel (2024-2026)

Member | AVPN Asian Youth Mental Wellbeing Fund Young Impact Leader Advisory Committee (2023-2024)

Member | Global Black Gay Men Connect Sustainability Caucus (2024-2024)

Expert Consultant | Wellcome Trust Mental Health Translation Team (2024-2024

Member | TREAT Asia (American Foundation for AIDS Research) Community Advisory Board

Steering Committee Member | Go Youth! Global Open Call on Youth Voices, SESH Global (2022-2022)

Expert Witness | Opinion on stigma and discrimination towards men who have sex with men in Singapore

Expert Witness | Opinion on the effect of viral suppression on the risks of HIV transmission through sexual contact

Lead | Persons Who Use Drugs, Blueprint to End HIV (AFA) (2019-2020)

Academic and Research Grant Reviews

Grant Reviewer | National Medical Research Council, Singapore (2025-2025)

Grant Panellist | Ministry of Health Office for Healthcare Transformation Movements for Health (M4H) (2021-2025)

Grant Reviewer | Wellcome Trust (2024-2024)

Grant Reviewer | United Kingdom Medical Research Council (2024-2024)

Reviewer | China Medical Board Fellowship Training Program, University of North Carolina Project-China (2024-2024)

Contributions to Scientific Conferences and Events

Present Appointments

Local Organising Committee Lead | International Congress of Behavioral Medicine 2027 (2025-Present)

Program Chair | Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC) 2026 (2025-Present)

Community Outreach Chair | IUSTI World Congress 2026 Organising Committee (2025-Present)

Member | Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC) Scientific Committee (2022-Present)

Member | Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC) 2022 Organizing Committee (2022-Present)

Past Appointments

Scientific Program Committee Member | International Congress of Behavioral Medicine 2025 (2024-2025)

Member| Asian Society for Implementation Science Planning Committee (2024-Present)

Co-Chair | Singapore AIDS Conference 2024 (2024-Present)

Member | AIDS 2024 Key Population Pre-Conference Planning Committee (2024-2024)

Early Career Researcher Committee Co-Chair | IUSTI World Congress 2024 Organising Committee (2023-2024)

Member | Singapore AIDS Conference 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 | Singapore AIDS Conference 2020 Organizing Committee (2020-2020)

Abstract Mentor | 11th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (2020-2020)

Abstract Mentor | 23rd International AIDS Conference (2019-2019)

Abstract Mentor | 10th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (2018-2018)

Honors, Scholarships & Fellowships

S R Nathan Fellowship Young Leader 2026 | Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore

ASEAN Youth Fellowship 2024 | National Youth Council and Singapore International Foundation

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 Young Researcher Award | National University of Singapore (2026)

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)

Teaching Experience

 

Present Appointments

Guest Lecturer | School of Medicine, NUS: MCI5009 Health Services Research Method for Clinicians (2026-Present)

Guest Lecturer | Duke-NUS: GMS5156 Global Mental Health in Asia (2026-Present)

Course Coordinator | SSHSPH, NUS: SPH5409Qualitative Methods in Public Health (2024-Present)

Course Co-Coordinator, SSHSPH, NUS: SPH5007 Implementing Public Health Programmes and Policies (2023-Present)

Guest Lecturer | SSHSPH, NUS: SPH3402 Mental Health: An Interdisciplinary Approach (2023-Present)

Guest Lecturer | SSHSPH, NUS: SPH2005 Health, Society and the Social Determinants (2021-2025)

Guest Lecturer | SSHSPH, NUS: Qualitative Methods in Public Health (Observational methods) (2020-2025)

Guest Lecturer | Duke-NUS: GMS5154 Adolescent Health in Asia (2024)

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)