Sylva Dolenska was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia and attended medical school at Charles University, Prague. After moving to Britain in 1982, she trained as an anaesthetist, and has been a consultant since 2000. She is currently Consultant Anaesthetist at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent, and has also acquired the KSS Deanery Certificate in Teaching. Her other key professional interests are airway management and obstetric anaesthesia.