Born into the family of a draftsman, Ivanov entered the Faculty of Medicine of the Imperial Moscow University in 1912.
bˈɔːɹn ˌɪntʊ ðə fˈæmɪli əvə dɹˈæftsmən, ˈaɪvɐnˌɑːv ˈɛntɚd ðə fˈækəlti ʌv mˈɛdəsən ʌvðɪ ɪmpˈɪɹiəl mˈɑːskoʊ jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛlv.