A clinical psychologist with over twelve years of experience as an academic, scientific researcher and clinician.  Dr Alvarenga is a Clinical Psychologist and Adjunct Senior Lecturer with the School of Public Health at Monash University. Her main area of interest is in psychosomatic medicine, specifically cardiac neurosciences. Dr Alvarenga has researched the link between stress, mental illness and increased risk or incidence of cardiovascular disease. These contributions are manifest (inter alia) in the recently published Handbook of Psychocardiology (Springer 2016). This two volume, 60 chapter work has now been downloaded wholly or as individual chapters in electronic form several thousand times (publisher's data), and looks set to be a benchmark in the area. Importantly, Dr Alvarenga carries her research (and that of others) directly into the clinical arena – as a clinical practitioner and was instrumental in founding a highly used psychocardiology clinic within MonashHeart, Monash Medical Centre’s Cardiology Department. She has exceptional organisational skills - as evidenced by her pivotal involvement in organising three very successful conferences on psychocardiology in Prato, Italy (2008, 2010 and 2012) on behalf of The Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute and Monash University – the first scientific meeting with a specific focus on the nexus between psychology, psychiatry and cardiology. She is also past Clinic Director of Monash University’s Psychology Clinic. Dr Alvarenga is an active practicing clinician and an AHPRA endorsed clinical supervisor.