Professor Silvana Di Palma

Professor Silvana Di Palma is a Consultant Histopathologist (someone who diagnoses conditions by examining them through a microscope). She has been producing diagnostic reports on cancer specimens from both NHS and private patients for over twenty years.  Although she specialises in cancers relating to the breast, head, neck and thyroid, she also has long-standing experience in many other areas of cancer pathology gained during her time at the National Cancer Institute in Italy and at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford.

Training and Appointment

After qualifying from the University of Bologna, Italy, in 1982, Professor Di Palma dedicated herself to obtaining the best available training in histopathology. She progressed onto the histopathology training programme at the University of Bologna where she worked as a Specialist Registrar from 1982-86. She then moved to the National Tumour Institute in Milan, specialising as a cancer pathologist and working for twelve years as a Research Fellow and Consultant Histopathologist.

Professor Di Palma arrived in England in 1999. Her first Consultant appointment was at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth where she expanded her training in general pathology. 

In 2004 she moved to the Royal Surrey County Hospital full time, with a joint appointment with the University of Surrey. 

Prof Di Palma was appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of England in 2007.

Publications, lectures and teaching

Prof Di Palma is passionate about education and training. She took up the role of Lead Educational Supervisor in 2005, Local Faculty Chair in 2012 and Training Programme Director for KSS in 2017. She has produced over 100 peer-reviewed publications, abstracts and oral presentations for national and international pathology societies. 

Prof Di Palma has served as Secretary and President of the head and neck working group of the European Society of Pathology and has been a frequent speaker and congress organiser over the last 30 years.

Prof Di Palma has been the professional advisor for breast screening pathology for Public Health England since 2019.

Prizes and Awards  

Prof Di Palma was awarded a prize by the Royal College of Pathologists of England in 2017 for her commitment to education and training. 

In 2019 she was voted one of the top 100 most influential pathologists in the world.

In addition, Prof. Di Palma was awarded a master’s degree in Psychiatry from the University of Cardiff in 2018.

Prof Di Palma produces diagnostic reports on cancer specimens from both NHS and private patients. Although she specialises in cancers relating to the breast, head, neck and thyroid she also has long standing experience in many other areas of cancer pathology gained during her time at the National Tumour Institute in Italy and at the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guilford. 

At the Royal Surrey, Prof Di Palma collaborates with several highly qualified teams of surgeons, oncologists, radiologists and health professionals as part of her leading role in multidisciplinary team meetings for screening and symptomatic breast tumours and for cancers occurring in the head, neck and thyroid. 

Prof Di Palma usually discusses cancer pathologies with her consultant colleagues however, she also recognises that some patients may benefit from actually seeing/discussing the cancer cells that are causing their condition and understanding the basis of their diagnosis. 

• Royal College of Pathologists
• British Division of the International Academy of Pathology
• Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• European Society of Pathology
• Association of Breast Pathology
• National Coordinating Committee for Breast Pathology (BIG 18)
• UK Endocrine Pathology Society
• British Society for Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
• British Medical Association