Vera Ignjatovic is a Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist based in Parkville, VIC. Her work is based at 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia. She looks after babies, kids and young people who need help with blood-related and cancer-related health issues.
In many cases, her patients come in with problems linked to how the blood works. This can include iron deficiency anaemia and childhood iron deficiency anaemia, where children feel tired and weak, or their growth and energy take a hit. She also helps with different types of jaundice, including newborn jaundice, and issues like transient familial hyperbilirubinemia, which can affect how the body handles bilirubin.
Vera also works with children who have bleeding or clotting concerns. Some families seek care when platelets are low, or when there’s a bleeding disorder like Von Willebrand Disease (VWD). At times, children may need support for blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, mesenteric venous thrombosis, and venous thromboembolism (VTE). These can be scary for families, and treatment plans often need careful checking and follow-up.
Another part of her day-to-day work can involve serious inflammatory conditions that affect children’s whole bodies. This includes multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), and illness episodes that have been seen with COVID-19 and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). She also looks after children with stroke and other clot-related brain or circulation issues, where quick action matters.
Some children she sees are dealing with heart conditions as well, including congenital heart disease (CHD) and Tetralogy of Fallot. Others may have been referred after an injury, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion, where the overall health picture needs to be understood alongside the blood and clotting side.
Families often want plain answers and clear next steps, especially when symptoms are new or unexpected. Vera focuses on listening to what’s going on, then working out the best way to support the child, whether the issue is something like protein S deficiency or a clotting problem, or a condition that affects how the blood forms and behaves.