Alyssa Van Groningen is passionate about partnering with communities to address health inequities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, particularly with regard to the intersections between substance use, chronic disease, and the social determinants of health. She has held several roles in Indigenous policy within the Australian Government, most recently as the Assistant Director of Indigenous Primary Health Care Policy at the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, where she led national policy reform projects to strengthen chronic disease care. Alyssa is also a Master of Public Policy candidate at the Australian National University and an accredited suicide counsellor.
Alyssa’s project focuses on how connection to culture affects the relationships between racism, discrimination, and tobacco use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. It aims to build the evidence base to support culturally appropriate tobacco prevention policies and programs, built on community strengths.