Dr. Anna Ivanenko, MD

personable, easy to talk to. Helped me figure out my sleep problems

We love Dr. Anna!

Dr. Ivanenko is a superb diagnostician in her field. She is, indeed a rare gem with few real peers. We started seeing her about 10 years ago when our son was sleeping a couple of hours per night and we were at our wits end. He has Down syndrome and, though we did not know it at the time, Autism. She has changed our life. If I had to characterize her in one word, I would say scientist. She applies a rigorous and disciplined approach to problem solving that yields reliable results. As brilliant as she is, she is neither a mind reader, nor a magician. Our son is non-verbal, so it is difficult to tell what is going on with him. From time to time, over the years, we have tried a suggestion from this doctor which was perfectly reasonable when she explained it to us, only to find that it was not effective. This is part of the trial and error problem resolution process that is common with non-verbal patients. You don't always hit the right combination of treatments on the… first try. But, Dr. Ivanenko is much like Thomas Edison, in that, no experiment is ever a failure because the information gleaned brings you one step closer to the ultimate resolution. In the early years at Loyolla, she was often behind schedule. This was because she spent the time necessary to take care of each patient and they just over booked her. In recent years in her various locations, wait times are minimal and the staff are usually top notch. Sometimes, though, there is a little wait because she has maybe squeezed in an emergency case, or had to give someone some extra time. Be assured, though, that if you are waiting, there is a very good reason and you will get the same excellent care that the other patients are getting. Reading some of the other comments, I questioned if they were reviewing the right doctor. Then I thought back to our initial visits with her and recalled that she was a bit rough at times. You see, she has such a keen grasp of her specialty(s) that she can very quickly see what information is relevant and what is not. Given that she is a consummate problem solver, she wastes little time on irrelevancies. Therefore, if you are giving irrelevant information, even though it seems critically important to you, she will move right past it in search of the information she needs to solve your problem. Consequently, she might seem a bit dismissive of the things you are saying. Remember, however, that things are rarely what they might at first seem. After a few visits I began to understand that she is in no way dismissing me as a parent, nor looking down on me intellectually. The more I LISTENED to her, the more I came to realize that she is a VERY direct and straight forward communicator. This can be off-putting if you don't know her and realize that she just has this innate drive to find the solution and precious little time to muddy the waters with irrelevant trivialities. Today, I respect this wonderful peculiarity in Dr. Ivanenko and value the fact that she so cares for her patients that she focuses every thought and energy on problem resolution instead of wasting time listening and nodding to (all the while ignoring) everything you say, as some doctors will do. I promise you that it is well worth the investment of your time and attention to bring her considerable intellect to bear on whatever issue you are facing. If you walk into her office with a preconceived idea as to what the solution should be, (and I've done this with her) you may be disappointed because she is so much smarter than you and I in her own bailiwick that her solution is often beyond what we can envision without some guidance. You may find yourself thinking that her suggestions are nonesense. But, just because it makes no sense to you, doesn't mean it makes no sense. This is one doctor that you can trust. So my advice is be patient, listen carefully, ask clarifying questions if you need to, and follow where she is leading you. I'd wager 99 times out of 100, she will be leading you to a better state of being even if you leave with a different diagnosis and treatment plan than you went in expecting. So, if you have a particularly intractable problem, she is a powerful weapon to have in your arsenal.

Dr. Ivanenko's diagnosis of narcolepy in my teenage son has been life changing. She has helped us find the tools that allow him to function & have a good quality of life. We appreciate the time she takes to listen & to educate us about the condition. Her particular combination of skills & training has been a god send to us. Highly recommend her.

Thanks to Dr Ivanenko. With a few detailed visits my 4 yo son was back on track without the need for medication or extensive "therapy". She identified the problem and gave a simple solution that had not been suggested by his doctor, teachers and occupational therapists. After a year of trying to "fix" my son it turned out that he didn't need fixing....we did.

I went to Dr. Ivanenko for trouble sleeping. She didn't seem to care much about what the sleep problems were caused by or what can be done to solve the core of the problem. All she did was ask me a couple of very general questions, prescribe me some pills, and send me off. She ignored most of the questions I asked, and gave very vague and unsatisfying answers to the rest. I agree with the other reviewer, because their review was pretty much spot on what happened to me when I was there.

She is very caring, conscientious, organized, and knowledgeable. She has always been there for us to professionally advise us and provide consultation regarding our child's individual and unique needs. She is exceptional in her follow up and efficiency, and spends the time needed to provide exceptional care.

I went to see tis doctor for help getting my 4 month old on a sleeping schedule, as well as help transitioning him to his crib. From the minute she walked into the room, all she did was TALK and did very little LISTENING at all. She was compltely useless in helping me solve my problem, as she made several untrue assumptions, and never bothered to ask me any specific questions regarding my child's situation. She gave me what I felt like was a "blanket" solution as opposed to what was the more customized solution I was not only looking for, but paying for as well. I've read several sleep books that offer blanket solutions - I wanted the advise and opinion of an expert once I explained my concerns to her, however she was not interested in anything I had to say. I also felt like she was passing judgement on me and thought she needed to convince me of certain things, when clearly I was at her office seeking help for those very same things. Again, had she bothered talking to me she may… have realized this. Very dissappointing.