Hematology program

Our pediatric hematology program offers diagnoses, consultations, lab work, second opinions, and more. At the Northwestern Mutual Day Hospital in the MACC Fund Center, clinical services include blood products transfusions, erythrocytapheresis (the removal of red blood cells), and administration of intravenous medications, such as chronic blood transfusions, iron infusions and IV immunoglobulin.

Because hematology patients often need referrals to other specialists, our program works closely with other departments and providers within Children’s Wisconsin, such as blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapy, immunology, genetics, gastroenterology, and rheumatology. In addition, our hematology program assists with ongoing medication management, genetic counseling, family support and child life services, educational programs and community outreach.

Undiagnosed bleeding disorders are a common cause of menstrual issues in adolescents and are often under-recognized. Our Young Women with Blood Disorders Clinic—the only of its kind in the state—combines hematology and adolescent gynecology expertise for accurate diagnosis and multi-disciplinary care for our patients.

We also coordinate with other local physicians and care programs. We facilitate transfers to adult hematology programs as needed. For local patients, we work closely with the adult hematology program at nearby Froedtert Hospital. We can also assist with transfers and referrals for patients who don’t live in the area.

Our hematology program treats pediatric patients with sickle cell disease, general hematology disorders, and bleeding and clotting disorders. These conditions include:

• Anemias, such as iron deficiency anemia, hemolytic anemia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, anemia of chronic disease, anemia due to kidney problems, cold hemagglutinin disease, warm hemolytic anemia, congenital dyserythropoietic anemia, Diamond-Blackfan anemia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, megaloblastic anemia, sideroblastic anemia, and transient erythroblastopenia of childhood
• Bleeding disorders, including hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, platelet function defects, factor deficiencies, afibrinogenemia, hypofibrinogenemia, dysfibrinogenemia, antiplasmin deficiency, and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) deficiency
• Red blood cell disorders, such as G6PD deficiency, glucose phosphate isomerase deficiency, hereditary elliptocytosis, hereditary spherocytosis, hereditary pyropoikilocytosis, hereditary stomatocytosis, pyruvate kinase deficiency, and phosphofructokinase deficiency
• White blood cell disorders, including neonatal alloimmune neutropenia, severe congenital neutropenia, Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, chronic granulomatous disease, chronic benign neutropenia, cyclic neutropenia, Kostmann syndrome, Chediak-Higashi, dyskeratosis congenita, myelokathexis, and leukocyte adhesion defects
• Platelet disorders, such as alpha granule defects, storage pool disorders, Glanzmann thrombasthenia, Bernard-Soulier syndrome, MYH9 defects, and thrombocytopenia with absent radii (TAR)
• Hemoglobinopathies, including sickle cell disease, hemoglobin C, hemoglobin D, hemoglobin E, and hemoglobin SC
• Immune disorders, including autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS), Evan’s syndrome, immune-mediated neutropenia, and immune thrombocytopenia
• Stroke, including ischemic and hemorrhagic
• Thalassemia, such as beta thalassemia, alpha thalassemia, and Hemoglobin H disease
• Thrombocytopenia, including immune, hereditary, MYH9, Bernard Soulier, X-linked, amegakaryocytic, and neonatal alloimmune
• Thrombosis, such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, catheter-associated thrombosis, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, Lemierre’s disease, May-Thurner syndrome, portal vein thrombosis, renal vein thrombosis, and purpura fulminans
• Thrombophilia, including factor V Leiden, prothrombin gene variant G20210A, protein C deficiency, protein S deficiency, antithrombin deficiency, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, and hyperhomocysteinemia
• Vitamin deficiencies, such as folate deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anemia) and vitamin K deficiency
• Asplenia
• Disseminated intravascular coagulation
• Essential thrombocytosis
• Eosinophilia
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome
• Hypersplenism
• Iron overload
• Kasabach-Merritt syndrome
• Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria
• Polycythemia
• Porphyria
• Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP)

The clinical hematology team at Children’s Wisconsin includes:

• Melissa Azul, DO
• Brian Branchford, MD
• Amanda Brandow, DO
• Veronica H. Flood, MD
• Nicole Liberio, MD
• Lynn Malec, MD
• Rowena Punzalan, MD
• Allison Remiker, MD
• Elizabeth M Andekian, APNP
• Mary K Laus, APNP
• Hillary McCown, NP

Along with our physicians and nurse specialists, our hematology care team includes psychologists, social workers, genetic counselors and child life therapists. Our providers care for the whole child—and their family—by assisting with every step of their journey, from coping with a complex diagnosis to navigating health insurance to connecting with other resources. Our providers are available around the clock to handle urgent patient needs.