EV obtained her Ph.D. in 1980 in Pharmacology at the University of Ferrara, Italy. She carried out her post-doctoral training at the “Mario Negri” Institute in Milan, Italy from 1981 to 1985. Then she moved to the Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, NIAID, NIH directed by Malcolm A. Martin as a Visiting Associate. Since 1993 she has been working at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan as Senior Investigator in the AIDS Immunopathogenesis Unit directed by Prof. Guido Poli till 2005 and since January 2006 she has been heading the Viral pathogens and biosafety Unit.

She is author of 126 including original articles published in peer-reviewed journals, reviews and book chapters.