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Promoting Sexual Health

Sexual Health, HIV and other STI

My work in public health began in attempting to understanding HIV-related stigma and discrimination better, and how it manifests as a barrier to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections testing in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). In the past few years, I have conducted epidemiological studies on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, evaluation of online HIV and other STI health interventions for youth and GBMSM, and stigma associated with HIV and other STI.

I am also interested the well-being of people living with HIV, as well as individuals at risk of HIV and other STI. Specifically, my research has focused on how such individuals negotiate health information, and how their lived experiences are facilitated or constrained by the imposition of biomedical structures and paradigms.

Ongoing/Upcoming Projects:

  • The Pink Carpet Y PrEP and Telehealth Demonstration Study: A demonstration study to assess feasibility and acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery, PrEP telehealth, and effectiveness of a sexually transmitted infections counselling service for young men who have sex with men in Singapore (Co-Investigator)

  • International sexual health and reproductive (ISHARE) Health during COVID-19 (Singapore country lead)

  • Factors associated with late presentation for HIV among heterosexual men and GBMSM in Singapore (Co-Investigator)

  • The Pink Carpet Y Cohort Study for young GBMSM (Principal Investigator)

  • Sexual health of youth in Singapore, and exploring the social determinants of sexual health among youth who identify as minority race individuals (Principal Investigator)

  • Evaluation of a comprehensive sexuality education workshop on youth sexual health knowledge, sexual communication and sexual negotiation self-efficacy (Principal Investigator)

  • Effectiveness of an online video intervention to address internalized homophobia and improve sexual health outcomes among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial (Principal Investigator)

Photo by Sergey Mikheev on Unsplash

Relevant Publications in Peer Reviewed Journals

  1. Toller-Erasquin J.†, Tan R. K. J.†, Uhlich M., Francis J., Kumar N., Campbell L., Zhang W., Hlatshwako T., Kosana P., Shah S., Brenner E. M., Remmerie L., Mussa A., Klapilova K., Mark K., Perotta G., Gabster A., Wouters W., Burns S., Hendriks J., Eleuteri S., Sahril N., Low W. Y., Plasilova L., Lazdane G., Olumide A., Michielsen K., Moreau C., Tucker J. D., I-SHARE Research Consortium. (In press). The International Sexual Health And Reproductive Health Survey (I-SHARE-1): A Cross-Sectional Multi-Country Analysis of Adults from 30 Countries Prior to and During the Initial COVID-19 Wave. Clinical Infectious Diseases.

  2. Tan R. K. J.*, Ho V., Sherqueshaa S., Dee W., Lim M. J., Lo J. J., Teo A. K. J., O’Hara C. A., Ong C., Ching A. H., West B. S., Wong M. L. (In press). COVID-19 and the shifting organization of sex work markets. Culture, Health and Sexuality.

  3. Yong X. M., Lin J., Nah T., Tan M., Tyler A., Banerjee S., Tong F. Y., Tan R. K. J.* (2021). Exploring the effectiveness of an online sexual health workshop on sexual and relationship beliefs and HIV/STI prevention knowledge among Singaporean youth. Sexually Transmitted Infections.

  4. Tan R. K. J.*, O’Hara C. A., Kumar N. (2021). Partnership status, living arrangements, and changes in sexual behavior and satisfaction during the COVID-19 lockdown: Insights from an observational, cross-sectional online survey in Singapore. Sexual Health.

  5. Choy C. Y., Wong C. S.*, Kumar P. A., Yeo B., Banerjee S., Lee C. C., Leong H. N., Leow Y. F., Lye D. C., Olyszyna D. P., Tan K. K., Tan R. K. J., Ti J., Chan R., Archuleta S. (In press). Guidance for the prescription of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Singapore. Singapore Medical Journal.

  6. Tan R. K. J.*, O’Hara C. A., Koh W. L., Le D., Tan A., Tyler A., Tan C., Kwok C., Banerjee S., Wong M. L. (2021). Delineating patterns of sexualized substance use and its association with sexual and mental health outcomes among young gay, bisexual and queer men in Singapore: A latent class analysis. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11056-5

  7. 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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103333

  8. Ong C., Tan R. K. J.*, Le D., Tan A., Tyler A., Tan C., Kwok C., Banerjee S., Wong M. L. (2021). Association between sexual orientation acceptance and suicidal ideation, substance use, and internalised homophobia amongst the Pink Carpet Y Cohort Study of young gay, bisexual, and queer men in Singapore. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10992-6

  9. Tan R. K. J.*, Ho V., Sherqueshaa S., Dee W., Lim M. J., Lo J. J., Teo A. K. J., O’Hara C. A., Ong C., Ching A. H., Wong M. L. (2021). The Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the Health and Social Needs of Sex Workers in Singapore. Archives of Sexual Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-01951-8

  10. Tan R. K. J.*, Lim M. J., Chan J. K. W. (2021). Is "Undetectable = Untransmissible" Good Public Health Messaging? American Medical Association Journal of Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1001/amajethics.2021.418.

  11. Tan R. K. J.*, Wang Y., Prem K., Teo A. K. J., Kaur N., Harrison-Quintana J., Cook A., Chen M. I., Wong C. S. (2021). PrEP or condoms, or both? Insights on risk compensation through a discrete choice experiment on PrEP preferences among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Value in Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2020.11.023

  12. Tan R. K. J.*, O’Hara C. A., Koh W. L., Le D., Tan A., Tyler A., Tan C., Kwok C., Banerjee S., Wong C. S., Wong M. L., Chen M. I. (2021). Social capital and chemsex initiation among young gay, bisexual and queer men: The Pink Carpet Y cohort study. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-021-00353-2

  13. Michielsen K., Larrson E. C., Kågesten A. on behalf of the I-SHARE Team et al. (2021). International Sexual Health And REproductive health (I-SHARE) survey during COVID-19: study protocol for online national surveys and global comparative analyses. Sexually Transmitted Infections. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2020-054664

  14. Tan Y.*, Kaur N., Ye A. J., Zhang Y., Zheng J. L. X., Tan R. K. J., Ho L. P., Chen M. I., Wong M. L., Wong C. S., Yap P. (2021). Perceptions of a HIV self-testing intervention and its potential role in addressing the barriers to HIV testing amongst at-risk heterosexual men: a qualitative analysis from Singapore. Sexually Transmitted Infections. https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2020-054773

  15. Tan R. K. J.*, Chan Y. Y., Ibrahim M. A., Ho L. P., Lim O., Choong B., Chio M. T., Chen M. I., Wong C. S. (2020). Potential interactions between the pathways to diagnosis of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV self-testing: Insights from a qualitative study of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Sexually Transmitted Infections. https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2020-054623

  16. Tan R. K. J., Koh W. L., Le D., Tan A., Tyler A., Tan C., Banerjee S., Wong C. S., Wong M. L., Chio M. T., Chen M. I. (2020). Effect of a web drama video series on HIV and other sexually transmitted infection testing among gay, bisexual and queer men: study protocol for a community-based, pragmatic, randomized controlled trial in Singapore – the People Like Us (PLU) evaluation study. BMJ Open. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033855

  17. Lim M. J., Tan R. K. J., Chan J. K. W. (2020). “Do I need to or do I want to?” A typology of HIV status disclosure among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. AIDS Care: AIDS Impact 2019 Special Issue. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2020.1742865.

  18. Tan R. K. J.*, Lim M. J., Chan J. K. W. (2020). “Not a walking piece of meat with disease”: meanings of becoming undetectable among HIV-positive gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in the U=U era. AIDS Care. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2019.1668534.

  19. Tan R. K. J.*, Kaur N., Chen M. I., Wong C. S. (2020). Individual, interpersonal, and situational factors influencing HIV and other STI risk perception among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: a qualitative study. AIDS Care. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2020.1734176.

  20. Tan R. K. J., Kaur N., Chen M. I.*, Wong C. S. (2019). Developing a typology of HIV/STI testing patterns among gay, bisexual, and queer men: a framework to guide interventions. Qualitative Health Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732319870174        

  21. Tan R. K. J.*, Wong C. S. (2019). Mobilizing civil society for the HIV treatment cascade: a global analysis on democracy and its association with people living with HIV who know their status. Journal of the International AIDS Society. https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.25374

  22. Tan R. K. J.*, Kaur N., P. A. Kumar, Tay E., Leong A., Wong C. S. (2019). Clinics as spaces of costly disclosure: HIV/STI testing and anticipated stigma among gay, bisexual and queer men. Culture, Health and Sexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2019.1596313

  23. Tan R. K. J.*, Teo A. K. J., Kaur N., Harrison-Quintana J., Wong C. S., Chen M. I. (2019). Extent and selectivity of sexual orientation disclosure and its association with HIV and other STI testing patterns among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Sexually Transmitted Infections. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2018-053866

  24. Wong C. S.*, Kumar P. A., Wong C. M., Choong B. C. H., Lim O., Chan Y. Y., Ibrahim M. A., Chio M. T., Tan R. K. J., Chen M. I. (2019). Acceptability of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and opinions on PrEP service delivery among men who have sex with men in Singapore: a qualitative study. AIDS Education and Prevention. https://doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2019.31.2.152

  25. Tan R. K. J., Wong C. M., Chen M. I.*, Chan Y. Y., Ibrahim M. A., Lim O. Z., Chio M. T., Wong C. S., Chan R. K. W., Chua L. J., Choong B. C. H. (2018). Chemsex among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Singapore and the challenges ahead: a qualitative study. International Journal of Drug Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.10.002

  26. Tan R. K. J.*, Teo A. K. J., Kaur N., Harrison-Quintana J., Chen M. I., Wong C. S. (2018). Cost and anonymity as factors for the effective implementation of pre-exposure prophylaxis: an observational study among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Singapore. Sexual Health. https://doi.org/10.1071/SH18059

  27. Tan R. K. J.* (2018): Internalized homophobia, HIV knowledge, and HIV/AIDS personal responsibility beliefs: correlates of HIV/AIDS discrimination among MSM in the context of institutionalized stigma, Journal of Homosexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2018.1491249

*Corresponding Author