Dr. Rachel Beth Wellner MD, MPH

Expert Publications

• Polarized secretion of transgene products from salivary glands in vivo.
• Construction and function of a recombinant adenovirus encoding a human aquaporin 1-green fluorescent protein fusion product.
• Salivary glands as a model for craniofacial applications of gene transfer.
• Evidence that aquaporin-8 is located in the basolateral membrane of rat submandibular gland acinar cells.
• Polarized sorting of aquaporins 5 and 8 in stable MDCK-II transfectants.
• The role of calcium ions for the expression of ricin toxicity in cultured macrophages.
• Increased fluid secretion after adenoviral-mediated transfer of the human aquaporin-1 cDNA to irradiated miniature pig parotid glands.
• Primary culture of polarized human salivary epithelial cells for use in developing an artificial salivary gland.
• Responsiveness of a human parotid epithelial cell line (HSY) to autonomic stimulation: muscarinic control of K+ transport.
• Muscarinic regulation of potassium transport in a human submandibular epithelial cell line.
• Characteristics of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in a rat salivary cell line, RSMT-A5.
• Beta-adrenergic control of cell volume and chloride transport in an established
• Beta-adrenergic responsiveness in a human submandibular tumor cell line (A253).
• Muscarinic receptor regulation of Ca2+ mobilization in a human salivary cell line.
• Enhancement of ricin cytotoxicity in Chinese hamster ovary cells by depletion of intracellular K+: evidence for an Na+/H+ exchange system in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Media Releases

Get to know General Surgeon & Breast Surgeon Dr. Rachel Wellner, who serves patients throughout the State of California.

Dr. Wellner is a board-certified general surgeon & an accomplished breast surgeon with 20 years experience in oncology. At the forefront of cancer medicine, her trailblazing career is marked by her dedication to patients and her belief in overall wellness.

Serving as the Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Caelum Diagnostic Solutions, her mission is to accelerate cancer care by providing immediate tissue biopsy diagnostic results.

Drawn to medicine at a young age, Dr. Wellner was inspired by her father’s work in the medical field. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish Literature from Dartmouth College, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She then went on to attain her medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and later, her Master of Public Health degree from the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, where she also published a textbook, “Aging, Heart Disease, and Its Management” along with other publications. 

Thereafter, Dr. Wellner completed her internship in general surgery and her residency in general surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, followed by her fellowship in breast surgery at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California. 

After witnessing her patients experience the trauma associated with a breast cancer diagnosis along with the psychosocial, emotional, and physical consequences of a surgically altered body, Dr. Wellner dedicated 2 years to pioneering a state-of-the-art Oncoplastics Program at Hackensack University Medical Center. This innovative approach integrates breast cancer tumor removal with reconstructive surgery.

Beginning her career as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Mount Sinai Hospital, Dr. Wellner went on to serve as an Attending Physician at The Beth Israel Medical Center. In 2009, after being appointed to be the Director of Breast Services at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, she continued her mission to provide exceptional healthcare and she developed the center into a satellite of the NAPBC-accredited Continuum Cancer Centers of New York.

In 2015, after serving on the surgical faculty at Hackensack University Medical Center, Dr. Wellner accepted the position of Senior Breast Surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center. She saw patients immediately after they had been diagnosed with breast cancer to develop an aggressive and comprehensive treatment plan with them. At that time, she had established a stellar reputation and was at the forefront of cancer medicine. 

Recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), Dr. Wellner is also a member of the Society of Surgical Oncology and the American Society of Breast Surgery.

Holding licensing in New York, New Jersey, and California, she is board-certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery (ABS). The ABS is an independent, non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training, and knowledge.

General surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, appendix and other body systems. A general surgeon performs a wide range of surgeries for many forms of intestinal and abdominal wall neoplasms, gallbladder disease, gastric and biliary disease. They follow the patient through critical care and surgical recovery all the way to outpatient care.

Breast surgery is a form of surgery performed on the breast. A breast surgeon is usually a general surgeon who is especially skilled in operating on the breast. They may biopsy a tumor in the breast and, if it is malignant, remove the tumor. They may also do breast reconstruction following a mastectomy for breast cancer.

Guided by her philosophy that everyone deserves quality healthcare regardless of socioeconomic states, Dr. Wellner has founded several medical programs around the developing world, including an international training program for Surgical Residents. 

Fluent in English, Spanish, and Hebrew, she has worked abroad in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, India, and other areas. She was also a delegate member of Susan G. Koeman’s first Israeli Race for the Cure Program in Jerusalem. 

Alongside her international humanitarian work, Dr. Wellner served as project coordinator in collaboration with WPIX 11 for the Project Renewal ScanVan, the country’s first mobile mammography and radiology clinic for homeless and uninsured adults. ScanVan provides clinical breast exams, mammograms, tuberculosis tests, and health education to homeless and low-income men and women throughout the 5 boroughs of New York City.

Truly embodying the values of her oath, Dr. Wellner has numerous publications, talks, TV appearances and features, along with myriad awards for her global humanitarian work and professional accomplishments. Notably, in 2008, she received The Arnold P. Gold Foundation Award for Humanism and Excellence in Teaching from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and The University of Connecticut Health Center Auxiliary Award in recognition of clinical and academic excellence. 

Recently, she won the Founder’s Award from Latina SHARE, a group she has worked extensively with to provide breast education and resources to Hispanic women.

Recommended Articles

• Bone Health Drugs for Breast Cancer

  Like any other drug or therapy, breast cancer treatment also has its own side effects. One of the side effects of breast cancer treatment is rapid bone loss leading to osteoporosis. The following are treatments for breast cancer that can significantly cause bone loss:...

• What is Testicular Cancer: Get the Facts

  Testicular cancer is a malignancy that affects the testes, which are the sex glands in men that are responsible for secreting the male sex hormone testosterone and for producing sperm cells that fertilize female eggs to kick start a pregnancy.Prevalence of testicular cancerIn the United States,...

• Treatment Options for Cervical Cancer

  Cervical cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women. However, unlike the other forms of cancer, cervical cancer can be cured if it is discovered early on. That’s why cervical screening tests are necessary.Cervical cancer usually has no apparent symptoms in the primary stages. The...

• What Is Nodular Melanoma?

  Melanoma is a serious skin cancer which arises from pigment cells called as melanocytes. An invasive form of melanoma is called nodular melanoma. Nodular melanoma is a serious skin cancer that got its name from the word "nodule", a doctor’s term for a lump as nodular melanoma lesions are shaped...

• Pink Chair Project Celebrates Survivors of Breast Cancer

  Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among American women, with the exception of skin cancers. It is also the second leading cause of death among women, after lung cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that there are over 3.1 million breast cancer survivors in the United States,...

• What Tests Determine Pancreatic Cancer?

  Pancreatic cancer is a cancer that begins in the pancreas, which is the organ that lies behind the lower part of the stomach. This type of cancer is really difficult to diagnose and it is often detected late. In most cases, by the time this cancer is detected, it has already spread rapidly and thus...