Alyssa is an AHPRA registered, therapeutically endorsed optometrist. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Doctor of Optometry in 2018, and a Bachelor of Biomedicine prior.  

Following graduation, she pursued her love of full scope clinical practice in regional Victoria across Gippsland, Echuca and Hume, managing a diverse range of pathology and sharing her passion for eyecare by hosting medical and optometry students on placement and training of local hospital emergency department practitioners.  

During this time, she completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Primary Care Ophthalmology from the University of Edinburgh to advance her knowledge of global eyecare, complex disease management and ophthalmological co-management.  

Currently, Alyssa is a clinical research optometrist in the Downie Laboratory: Anterior Eye, Clinical Trials and Research Translation Unit. She is a co-investigator in several industry and investigator-initiated clinical trials focusing on ocular surface disease and corneal immunology, including imaging and analysing corneal immune cells using in-vivo corneal confocal microscopy.