She has been the Deputy Director of the Cardiothoracic Unit at The Alfred for the last eight years. Silvana performs over 300 heart and lung operations each year including heart transplants, lung transplants and the implantation of mechanical heart assist devices. She also is a busy researcher with over 100 peer reviewed publications and book chapters, and has completed a Master of Surgery, a Master of Bioethics and a PhD. Her research endeavours have attracted over $6M in funding to date.