At the Fourth Annual Global Health Scholars Symposium, three student researchers working in China showcased a forward‑looking portfolio of studies focused on digital health, HIV prevention, and community‑engaged sexual health interventions. Their work showed how technology, behavioral insights, and innovative service models can transform the landscape of HIV and STI prevention for key populations across the country. The symposium was sponsored by the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Find an overview of the event here.
Core Themes
From randomized controlled trials using “pay‑it‑forward” strategies to improve gonorrhea testing uptake, to implementation research evaluating how community settings can adopt and scale these approaches, this year’s symposium projects highlighted a growing intersection of digital platforms, user‑centered design, and equity‑focused public health strategies. Ye Liu, MSPH presented “Pay-It-forward gonorrhea testing randomized controlled trial.” Lan Li, PhD, UNC Project China Postdoc contributed “Implementing Pay-It-Forward for STI Testing in Community and Clinical Settings: A Qualitative Analysis of RE-AIM framework.”
Across the presentations, several themes emerged: the critical role of digital tools in reducing stigma and expanding access, the effectiveness of community-powered interventions that increase testing and engagement, and the importance of scalable models that can adapt to diverse clinical and community environments. Together, these student-led projects reflect a rapidly evolving Chinese public health context—one where technology and social innovation play central roles in reaching marginalized groups with timely, high‑quality preventive care. One oral presentation stood out for its novel vision and potential to reshape HIV prevention in real time: Zhuoheng Yin’s development of the Tally PrEP WeChat mini app for Chinese MSM.
Research Spotlight: Digital Support for PrEP Use
Yin introduced an innovative digital health tool: Tally PrEP, a WeChat mini app designed to help men who have sex with men (MSM) start and maintain effective HIV pre‑exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Under the mentorship of Weiming Tang, PhD, and Joe Tucker, MD, PhD, co-directors of UNC Project-China, Yin has taken a user‑centered approach to addressing a major challenge in PrEP implementation in China—ensuring that individuals who access PrEP, often outside formal clinical pathways, have the information and support they need for consistent, correct use.
In his presentation, Yin highlighted a rapidly growing trend: many Chinese MSM are now purchasing PrEP online, sometimes without medical oversight. While this demonstrates strong demand for HIV prevention tools, it also reveals critical gaps in sexual health services—limited guidance, difficulty managing side effects, and structural stigma that discourages in‑person care. The Tally PrEP app aims to bridge these gaps by embedding PrEP guidance directly into WeChat, China’s most ubiquitous digital platform for communication, commerce, and community life. Through this integration, the app provides discreet, convenient access to sexual health resources; offers practical support for medication adherence; and helps users incorporate PrEP into their daily routines with privacy and ease.
“Digital platforms let us deliver sexual health services conveniently, safely, and privately,” he said, connecting with users where they are: online, on their phones, and within trusted platforms they already use every day.
This year’s work, whether through “pay‑it‑forward” models that expand access to testing or app‑based approaches that support safe, consistent PrEP use, demonstrated how emerging scholars are expanding the reach, relevance, and impact of HIV prevention efforts in China.