Dr. Jan Dio Miguel Dela Cruz, Chief of Medicine of LoveYourself and the first Transgender Health Physician of Victoria by LoveYourself—the country’s first community-led trans health center—represented the organization as one of only two Filipino scholars selected for the CHART Program of the Kirby Institute at University of New South Wales (UNSW). His work is centered on advancing gender-affirmative care and expanding access to HIV prevention, particularly pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), among underserved communities.
The CHART Program is a highly competitive regional initiative that brings together emerging researchers from across the Asia-Pacific to strengthen HIV research capacity through a “learning by doing” approach. It is delivered through three intensive workshop weeks held in Sydney (August 11–15 and August 18–22, 2025, with the final session scheduled for May 25–29, 2026), complemented by ongoing mentorship as participants design and implement their own country-based research projects.
Through this program, Dr. Dela Cruz is further developing research that aligns with local HIV priorities, with the goal of generating evidence to inform policy and improve service delivery. As he progresses toward the final phase, he aims to translate these learnings into meaningful contributions that will strengthen LoveYourself’s programs on gender-affirming care and equitable access to PrEP.
