Dr Horas Wong
Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney
Co-Chair, The University of Sydney Pride Network
Horas has a transdisciplinary background in nursing, public health, anthropology, and health social sciences. He has worked clinically as a nurse, educator, and health researcher in both Hong Kong and Australia. Currently, he serves as an executive committee member of the Australasian Sexual Health and HIV Nurses Association (ASHHNA), the leading professional organisation for sexual, reproductive health, and HIV nurses in the Australasian region. He is also a co-chair of the University of Sydney Pride Network, where he advocates for an inclusive campus.
Horas's main areas of expertise include qualitative research, co-design research, social determinants of health, and culturally safe healthcare practices, with a strong focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as health inequality among marginalised populations, such as LGBTQIA+ individuals and migrants. He has conducted community-based and epidemiological research among socially marginalised groups in Hong Kong and Australia.
With a Master's in Public Health and a Master of Arts in Anthropology earned in Hong Kong, Horas was awarded a prestigious Australian scholarship that enabled him to complete his PhD in Health Social Sciences at UNSW Sydney in 2019. His doctoral work focused on the transnational and intersectional experiences of Chinese sexual minority migrants in Australia, earning his PhD thesis a nomination for Best Doctoral Thesis within UNSW Sydney's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Additionally, Horas is an Authorised Nurse Immuniser in NSW and is clinically accredited as a Reproductive and Sexual Health Nurse by Family Planning NSW. He actively participates in various health research projects involving culturally and linguistically diverse populations in Australia and Asia.
Horas is available to provide supervision for postgraduate research in the following areas:
- Qualitative research
- Culture and languistic diversity, including culturally safe healthcare practices
- Community-based participatory and co-design research projects, with a particular emphasis on socially marginalised communities
- Social determinants of health and health inequality
- Social and behavioral health research
- Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
- Gender and sexualities, with a focus on LGBTIQ+ care
Horas serves as the unit coordinator for NURS2003 "Contexts of Health and Diseases" and NURS5006 "Illness, Experience, and Nursing Care." Additionally, he instructs courses in NURS1006 "Understanding Experiences of Illness" and NURS5002 "Social Contexts of Health." He is the academic advisor for 2nd and 3rd year students of the Bechalor of Nursing (Advanced Studies) program.
Current projects that Horas is working on:
- Co-designing a mutilingual mental health info hub for LGBTQ+ young people in Western Sydney
- Developing an international-interprofessional sexual and reproductive health and right teaching resoruce for Nursing and Social Work students in Sydney and Hong Kong (with University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Western Sydney University)
- A literature review on Queer Muslim Health (with UTS and UNSW Sydney)
- A project on alochol and other drugs use among trans youth (with Matilda Centre)
- Asian gay and bisexual men surveys in Australia (with UNSW Sydney)
- Lived experience of overseas-born sex workers and men who have sex with men living with chronic hepatitis B (with Sydney Sexual Health Centre, UNSW Sydney, and Burnet Institute)
- Co-designing holistic immunisation services with students with intellectual disability (with UNSW Sydney)
- Executive Committee Secretary of the Australasian Sexual Health and HIV Nurses Association (ASHHNA)
- Co-Chair of the University of Sydney Pride Network
- Research Ethics Review Committee Member at ACON (formerly known as AIDS Council of NSW)
- Affiliate member of the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM)
- Member (and former Executive Committee Secretary) of Action for Rights of Entertainers in Asia to Combat Human Oppression and Unjust Treatment (Action for REACH OUT) – a Hong Kong-based charitable organisation supporting women working in the sex industry in Asia.
- Workplace Culture Award, Sydney Nursing School (2024)
- Green Impact Award, as a member of the Sydney Nursing School Green Team (2023)
- Nominee for UNSW Faculty of Arts and Social Science's best doctoral thesis (2019)
- University Postgraduate Award, UNSW Sydney (2017)
- University International Postgraduate Award, UNSW Sydney (2015)
| Project title | Research student |
|---|---|
| Post stroke sexuality in LGBTI persons and their partners | William KOKAY |
Publications
Journals
- Klinner, C., Young, A., Strnadová, I., O'Neill, J., Newman, C., Wong, H., Davies, C., Vujovich-Dunn, C., Skinner, R., Brogan, D., Kang, M., et al (2025). Vaccinating Adolescents With Intellectual and Developmental Disability at School: An Opportunity to Promote Supported Decision Making. Journal of School Nursing. [More Information]
- Klinner, C., Turner, G., Bloomfield, J., Spencer, M., Lovell, R., van Diggele, C., Choi, E., Wong, J., Cui, J., Nugent, C., Fontaine, C., Wong, T., et al (2024). A qualitative exploration of nursing and social work university students' experiences of sexual and reproductive health and rights education in Australia and Hong Kong. Sex Education, Online first. [More Information]
- Tieosapjaroen, W., Mao, L., Wong, T., Prankumar, S., Chow, E., Fairley, C., Phillips, T., Zhang, L., Ong, J. (2024). Factors associated with HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis use among Asian men who have sex with men in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia: a cross-sectional study. The Lancet Regional Health. Western Pacific, 46. [More Information]
2025
- Klinner, C., Young, A., Strnadová, I., O'Neill, J., Newman, C., Wong, H., Davies, C., Vujovich-Dunn, C., Skinner, R., Brogan, D., Kang, M., et al (2025). Vaccinating Adolescents With Intellectual and Developmental Disability at School: An Opportunity to Promote Supported Decision Making. Journal of School Nursing. [More Information]
2024
- Klinner, C., Turner, G., Bloomfield, J., Spencer, M., Lovell, R., van Diggele, C., Choi, E., Wong, J., Cui, J., Nugent, C., Fontaine, C., Wong, T., et al (2024). A qualitative exploration of nursing and social work university students' experiences of sexual and reproductive health and rights education in Australia and Hong Kong. Sex Education, Online first. [More Information]
- Tieosapjaroen, W., Mao, L., Wong, T., Prankumar, S., Chow, E., Fairley, C., Phillips, T., Zhang, L., Ong, J. (2024). Factors associated with HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis use among Asian men who have sex with men in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia: a cross-sectional study. The Lancet Regional Health. Western Pacific, 46. [More Information]
- Krol, P., Einboden, R., Wong, T., Geia, L., Tembo, A. (2024). Reimagining a nursing ecosystem in an uncertain world. Nursing Philosophy, 25(4), e12501. [More Information]
2023
- Ford, J., Carter, A., Wong, H. (2023). Orgasm and Faking Orgasm: Heterosexual Interactions in China. Journal of Sex Research, 60(4), 484-497. [More Information]
- Chan, C., Wong, T., Mao, L., Bavinton, B., Holt, M., Prankumar, S., Dong, K., Wark, T., Chen, T. (2023). The impact of social connections and discrimination to HIV risk among Asian gay and bisexual men in Australia. Sexual Health, 20(6), 479-487. [More Information]
2022
- Wong, T., Prankumar, S., Cui, J., Tumwine, C., Addo, I., Kan, W., Noor, M. (2022). Information and communication technology-based health interventions for transgender people: A scoping review. PLoS Global Public Health, 2(9), e0001054. [More Information]
- Cui, J., Prankumar, S., Wong, T., Addo, I., Tumwine, C., Noor, M. (2022). Protocol for a scoping review of the use of information and communication technology platforms for the delivery and utilisation of transgender healthcare. BMJ Open, 12(6), e055914. [More Information]
2021
- Wong, H., Wang, P., Sun, Y., Newman, C., Vujcich, D., Vaughan, C., O'Connor, C., Jin, D., Ogilvie, E., Zhang, Y., et al (2021). Is sex lost in translation? Linguistic and conceptual issues in the translation of sexual and reproductive health surveys. Culture Health and Sexuality. [More Information]
- Vujcich, D., Roberts, M., Gu, Z., Kao, S., Lobo, R., Mao, L., Oudih, E., Phoo, N., Wong, H., Reid, A. (2021). Translating best practice into real practice: Methods, results and lessons from a project to translate an English sexual health survey into four Asian languages. PloS One, 16(12 December), e0261074. [More Information]
- Wong, T., Jin, D., Wang, P., Sun, Y., Mao, L., Zhang, Y., Ogilvie, E., Vujcich, D., Newman, C., O’Connor, C., et al (2021). Using Videoconferencing Focus Groups in Sexual and Reproductive Health Research With Chinese Im/Migrants in Australia. Qualitative Health Research, 31(14), 2757-2769. [More Information]
2018
- Mao, L., Buchanan, A., Wong, H., Persson, A. (2018). Beyond mere pill taking: SMS reminders for HIV treatment adherence delivered to mobile phones of clients in a community support network in Australia. Health and Social Care in the Community, 26(4), 486-494. [More Information]
- Poon, C., Wong, N., Kwan, T., Wong, H., Chan, K., Lee, S. (2018). Changes of sexual risk behaviors and sexual connections among HIV-positive men who have sex with men along their HIV care continuum. PloS One, 13(12), e0209008. [More Information]
2017
- Schippers, M., Adam, P., Smolenski, D., Wong, H., de Wit, J. (2017). A meta-analysis of overall effects of weight loss interventions delivered via mobile phones and effect size differences according to delivery mode, personal contact, and intervention intensity and duration. Obesity Reviews, 18(4), 450-459. [More Information]
2016
- Chan, D., Sun, H., Wong, H., Lee, S., Hung, C. (2016). Sexually acquired hepatitis C virus infection: A review. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 49, 47-58. [More Information]
2015
- Wong, H., Lee, K., Chan, D. (2015). Community-based sexually transmitted infection screening and increased detection of pharyngeal and urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in female sex workers in Hong Kong. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 42(4), 185-191. [More Information]
- Wong, H., Lee, S., Lee, C., Chan, D. (2015). Failure of self-disclosure of deferrable risk behaviors associated with transfusion-transmissible infections in blood donors. Transfusion, 55(9), 2175-2183. [More Information]
- Wong, H., Tam, H., Chan, D., Lee, S. (2015). Usage and Acceptability of HIV Self-testing in Men who have Sex with Men in Hong Kong. AIDS and Behavior, 19(3), 505-515. [More Information]
2014
- Leung, K., Wong, H., Naftalin, C., Lee, S. (2014). A new perspective on sexual mixing among men who have sex with men by body image. PloS One, 9(11). [More Information]
Selected Grants
2024
- Co-designing an Online Info Hub and Suicide Awareness Campaign for CALD LGBTQ Youth in South Western Sydney, Wong T, South Western Sydney Primary Health Network/Suicide Prevention Grant
2022
- New Academic Support Scheme 2209091427, Wong T, Faculty of Medicine and Health/FMH G U Sydney Nursing School
Please refer to Google Scholar for a full list of Horas's previous publications.
In the media
Horas has spoken and appeared in the media on issues relating to HIV and sexual health and migrant health in Australia, including the future of HIV care, equitable access to HIV medications, supporting school-based anti-bullying programsfor sexual minority students, and the sense of belonging among sexual minority migrants in Australia.