Sandeep Tarman Nanwani, a holder of BA (bio-medicine) and MD degrees from Gadjah Mada University (UGM), had been working as a case manager at the Kebaya HIV Shelter in Yogyakarta, before leaving to study for an MA in global health at Harvard Medical School.

Kebaya is an NGO that focuses on the health problems of transgender women, including the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. He was also a research assistant at the UGM HIV Working Group, and a volunteer counselor for several HIV/AIDS patient support groups, especially transgender people, sex workers, and women and children living with HIV.