From a young age, Alyssa aspired to be a medical oncologist. She began volunteering with the Canadian Cancer Society at just 14 years old and went on to study biochemistry at Eastern Michigan University on a full athletic scholarship for rowing. After completing her undergraduate studies, she moved back to Toronto and started working as a clinical assistant to an orthopedic surgeon while preparing to write the MCAT.

But at just 23 years old, her life took a dramatic turn when she was diagnosed with stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer. While undergoing chemotherapy, she had to defer her MCAT exam. This deferment and her personal bout with the disease prompted her to reevaluate her career path. Six months post-treatment, she began graduate studies at McMaster University, earning an MSc in Chemical Biology, focused on developing new radiopharmaceuticals for breast cancer diagnosis.

Driven by a desire to deepen her understanding of cancer therapies, she then pursued a PhD in tumour immunology and immunotherapy for breast cancer. During her PhD she published impactful peer-reviewed papers, presented at national and international conferences and was awarded many bursaries and scholarships; the most notable being the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. After completing her PhD, she joined the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) as a postdoctoral research fellow, where she continued her focus on tumour immunology. As a postdoctoral research fellow at OICR Alyssa was offered the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship – an award she subsequently declined to pursue a professional opportunity with a growing biotech company developing novel cancer therapies.

During her time in industry, she has obtained an MBA and further developed her broad background spanning preclinical research, translational sciences and clinical development. Her current position as Senior Director of Clinical Development focuses on developing novel radiopharmaceuticals for cancer therapy.

Throughout her career, Alyssa has been a passionate advocate for patients, collaborating with various organizations to ensure that patient perspectives are integral to cancer research and clinical trial design. With her unique perspective from both the professional and personal angles, she aims to enhance awareness, education and support meaningful dialogue between researchers, clinicians, patients and key stakeholders