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Vladana Milisavljevic

Vladana Milisavljevic

•Health Sciences Clinical Professor (HS I), Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine School of Medicine
•Attending Neonatologist, Division of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Orange County

Biography

Vladana Milisavljevic, M.D., M.S., FAAP, is the Al & Mary Ann Schoellerman Endowed Chair in Neonatology and Chief of Neonatal Service at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, California, where she also serves as Medical Director of the NICU and Special Care Nursery. She is a Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine. Milisavljevic received her medical degree from the School of Medicine at the University of Belgrade, Serbia, and a Master of Science in Dermatology from the same institution. She completed her residency in pediatrics at New Jersey Medical School and a fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Milisavljevic has held academic appointments at multiple institutions, progressing from Assistant Clinical Professor to Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, and later serving as Clinical Professor at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Her research has focused on healthcare-associated infections, particularly the pathogenesis of Staphylococcus epidermidis infections and biofilm formation in neonatal intensive care units. She has received funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, including a Child Health Research Career Development Award, and has published extensively on molecular epidemiology of neonatal infections and early gastrointestinal colonization in preterm infants.

Throughout her career, Milisavljevic has demonstrated a commitment to medical education, receiving the Outstanding Tutor Award from UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine for nine consecutive years from 2008 to 2016. She has served in administrative roles including Associate Clinical Director for Research in the NICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Medical Director of the Irene Dunne Guild NICU at Providence Saint John's Health Center. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and serves on the board of the California Association of Neonatologists.

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Education

  • M.D., School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia, 1991
  • M.S. in Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia, 1996
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Distinctions

  • Outstanding Tutor Award, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 2008-2016
  • The Al & Mary Ann Schoellerman Endowed Chair in Neonatology, Hoag Hospital, 2022-2025
  • Fellowship to Workshop, Center for International Meetings on Biology, 1995
  • Young Investigator Travel Award, The Perinatal Research Society Annual Meeting, 2004
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP), 1996
  • Patients' Choice Award, 2008-2012, 2018
  • Standing Ovation for Quality of Service, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 2012
  • October Prize of the City of Belgrade, 1991
  • Compassionate Doctor Recognition, 2011-2012, 2014
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Areas of Expertise

  • Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
  • Healthcare-Associated Infections
  • Staphylococcus Epidermidis Biofilm Formation
  • Neonatal Microbiome Development
  • Vancomycin Usage Optimization
  • Perinatal Nurse Navigator Programs
  • High-Risk Delivery Team Preparedness

Recent Publications

  • Kuhn, K, Shane, J, Newman, W, Haydon, M, Poblete, G, Lagrew, D, Milisavljevic, V, “Perinatal Nurse Navigator (PNN) Program: Supporting Patient Safety by Improving Multidisciplinary Team Preparedness in High-Risk Deliveries”, 2024. Presented at Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2024 Meeting, Toronto, Canada, May 2-6.
  • Chang, M, Mongkolrattanothai, K, Chin, S, Li, Y, Orbach, R, Stach, L, Nair, S, Milisavljevic, V, “Vancomycin Usage Optimization in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit”, 2021. Presented at WCPR 2021, January 6-8.
  • Chang, M, Mongkolrattanothai, K, Li, Y, Orbach, R, Nair, S, Chin, S, Milisavljevic, V, “Standardization of Vancomycin Use in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit”, 2021. Presented at PAS 2021, April 28th-May 5th.
  • Gao, W, Salzwedel, A, Carlson, A, Milisavljevic, V, Xia, K, Azcarate-Peril, A, Martin Styner, M, Thompson, A, Geng, X, Goldman, BD, Gilmore, J, Santelli, R, “Gut Microbiome and Brain Functional Connectivity in Early Childhood: A Preliminary Study Focusing on the Amygdala”, 2017. Presented at Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2017 Meeting, San Francisco, CA, May 6-May 8.
  • Milisavljevic, V, Sondhi, M, Simmons, CF, Klapper, EB, “Blood Products Utilization in VLBW Infants in the NICU”, 2017. Presented at Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2017 Meeting, San Francisco, CA, May 6-May 8.
  • Dekom, SA, Simmons, CF, Gao, W, Milisavljevic, V, “Early Respiratory and GI Tract Colonization of Neonates Requiring Intubation After Birth”, 2016. Presented at Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2016 Meeting, Baltimore, MD, April 30-May 3.
  • Milisavljevic, V, “Sepsis Neonatorum”, Neonatology: Clinical Practice and Procedures, McGraw-Hill, pp. 751-757, 2015.
  • Milisavljevic, V, “Health Care-Associated Infections in the NICU”, Neonatology: Clinical Practice and Procedures, McGraw-Hill, pp. 759-766, 2015.
  • Walker, V, Milisavljevic, V, “Early-Onset Sepsis”, Neonatology: Clinical Practice and Procedures, McGraw-Hill, pp. 1273-1279, 2015.
  • Milisavljevic, V, Garg, M, Vuletic, I, Miller, JF, Kim, L, Cunningham, TD, Schröder, I, “Prospective Assessment of the Gastroesophageal Microbiome in VLBW Neonates”, BMC Pediatr, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 49, 2013.
  • Weaver, WM, Milisavljevic, V, Miller, JF, Di Carlo, D, “Fluid Flow Induces Biofilm Formation in Staphylococcus epidermidis Polysaccharide Intracellular Adhesin-positive Clinical Isolates” (opens in new tab), Appl Environ Microbiol, vol. 78, no. 16, pp. 5890, 2012.
  • Weaver, WM, Dharmaraja, S, Milisavljevic, V, Di Carlo, D, “The Effects Of Shear Stress On Isolated Receptor - Ligand Interactions of Staphylococcus epidermidis And Human Plasma Fibrinogen Using Molecularly Patterned Microfluidics”, Lab Chip, 2011.
  • Milisavljevic, V, Purdy, I, Le, C, “B-type Natriuretic Peptide Utilization as an Adjunct to Management in a Case of Conjoined Twins with Pulmonary Hypertension”, Neonatal Netw, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 5-12, 2010.
  • Purdy, I, Halnon, N, Singh, N, Milisavljevic, V, “Vein of Galen Arteriovenous Malformation with PAPVR and Use of Serial B-type Natriuretic Peptide Levels In The Management: A Case Report And Review of the Literature”, Cases J, vol. 3, pp. 43, 2010.
  • Milisavljevic, V, Cherry, J, “Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma Infections of the Neonate”, Feigin and Cherry's Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases 6th edition, Saunders Elsevier, pp. 945-951, 2009.
  • Powers, JW, Teitell, MA, Milisavljevic, V, “Congenital High-Grade Sarcoma Presenting as Skin Nodules and Respiratory Distress in a Neonate”, J Perinatol, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 160-162, 2008.
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Contact Information

Email: vmilisav@uci.edu

Phone: (310) 430-3641

Address: 1201 W. La Veta Ave, Orange, CA 92868

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Last updated on 5/19/2026.