“Courage is not the absence of fear; courage is fear walking.” – Susan David, Ph.D.
The Courage Lab, led by Dr. Rayner Kay Jin Tan, was named after the Ph.D. scholarship (The Courage Fund) that supported his postgraduate training at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore.
This ‘dry lab’ is a consolidation of academic and community-based research projects that focus on health equity and the health of vulnerable communities in Singapore. We have a keen focus on issues relating to sexual health and mental well-being, with research projects specifically addressing HIV and other sexually transmitted infections prevention, substance use and dependence, trauma-informed approaches in health, stigma, suicide, community and patient involvement in healthcare, as well as the social determinants of health for communities that face disparities in access to health and healthcare.
Our name and logo embodies the work that we are inspired to do, which focuses on empowering communities in health and spurring health equity through research. The red dot in the logo is a nod to our ‘little red dot’, Singapore, and the colour red is often associated with the concepts of courage, passion, honour, and love.