The 2016 festival, which starts on Tuesday, features authors including Simon Schama, Howard Jacobson, Booker Prize winner Ben Okri and professor Marcus Du Sautoy.
Ms Silver, in her second year in the post, said: “Science and health is a big strand, it is really going to take us into the future.”
A session with epidemiologist Sir Michael Marmot in conversation with neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, on February 23, would be a highlight, Ms Silver said.
“They are going to be talking about social standing and how it can influence life expectancy.”