"Please stop, think carefully about how passionate you are" with Dr. Wellner
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Dr. Wellner was drawn to medicine at a young age, inspired by her father’s work in the medical field. In college, she pursued international mission trips, and this passion for service and healthcare is reflected throughout her illustrious career. From founding several international medical programs to providing free breast cancer screenings and services to the underserved and uninsured, Dr. Wellner truly embodies the values of her oath.
Her acclaimed career is marked by her dedication to patients and her belief in overall wellness. 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 two 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.
Dr. Wellner began her career as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai Hospital. She 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, Dr. Wellner 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, she accepted the position of Senior Breast Surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center. At that time, Dr. Wellner had established a stellar reputation and was at the forefront of cancer medicine. As the Senior Breast Surgeon, she saw patients immediately after they had been diagnosed with breast cancer to develop an aggressive and comprehensive treatment plan with them.
She is the acclaimed author of the Dr. Roo children’s series, where Dr. Roo the Kangaroo and her group of friends teach children the importance of staying healthy.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
As a physician, I know a great deal about health problems, how to diagnose them, and solve them. Basically, the mystery is a "differential diagnosis" as Doctoroo first rules out other causes of the problem at hand until the clues lead her to the right conclusion. I love kids and want to see them grow up healthy and happy, especially in these precarious times of pandemic- I chose to focus on what we CAN do, not what we can't, to help maintain and improve our health, starting with the youngest young.
What inspired you to start your business?
I truly enjoy spreading positive messages. I've done many television spots about breast cancer (my specialty), and I've always loved delivering a message to the public in a digestible way so that everyone can understand perhaps a complex medical issue by boiling it down to the basics. I actually have had a lot of fun on podcasts, and I often feel like I'm being interviewed by a good friend, even if the interviewer is tough! I came up with the inspiration for Doctoroo 20 years ago, but I didn’t think I had the ability to write for children, so I decided not to pursue my dream. I regret not doing so at the time, and I encourage others to pursue their dreams and not to let limiting beliefs stop them! With the help of some experts and self-training, I learned the necessary skills to write for kids, and in no time Doctoroo materialized. My background in international health served as an inspirational driving force to create Doctoroo as a global physician, solving health mysteries around the world, in the process teaching health lessons around the world. By doing so, she teaches not only about good health and hygiene but also teaches kids about an important landmark or two in each book.
Where is your business based?
I am based in Los Angeles, but I have the flexibility to write from anywhere. Doctoroo, on the other hand, is primarily based in rural Australia. Her medical practice brings her all over the world, as she is a global physician.
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
I started with a simple ‘treatment.’ In other words, I outlined what the first story was going to be about. I knew how the book was going to end before it began and then I wrote the story with a beginning, middle, and end, appropriately arcing the story to spend about a third of the book, in the beginning, a third in the middle, and a third in the end. I used the medical convention of a ‘differential diagnosis’ to create the mystery. A differential diagnosis relies upon the various causes behind a specific illness, for instance ‘can an illness be caused by an infection, a birth defect, a tumor, an occupational exposure, etc.’ I used simple causes of what could be the mysterious culprit of an illness to create a mystery that would keep children engaged. Doctoroo would narrow down the causes in each book until she finally nailed the cause, solved the mystery, and cured the patient. The books are meant to be very satisfying for the readers, as they solve the case along with Doctoroo and save the day, while they learn important basic health lessons!
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
I owe a lot of credit to the brilliant publicists I’ve surrounded myself with, who have arranged several podcast appearances, virtual tours, and interviews. I have also done quite a bit of social media.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
The following dictum has taken me decades to realize: writing plus creativity equals passion for me. That is the formula behind my makes me tick. Sadly, if I would have put it off any longer, I think I would have done damage to my soul, I can’t think of a better inspiration for this long-awaited project. I lived with putting this off for most of my adult life, and initiating a writing career became one of my biggest challenges, as it became harder and harder to start. Fortunately, I began writing in the nick of time!
How do you stay focused?
I think I have a humorous answer to this question. For most of my life, people have called me a “jack of all trades, master of none.” While I’m a natural multi-tasker, that’s not exactly true, as anything I’ve put my mind to, I’ve been sure to master. For instance, as a surgeon, I certainly mastered my subspecialty in order to provide my patients with the highest standard of care. For me, it’s been no different as a writer, and I have to say that the practice of writing has included re-writing and re-writing and re-writing. Practice makes perfect, as they say. No one gets it right the first time- anyone embarking on a writing career should be prepared to do a lot of re-writing, in my opinion.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
Doctoroo represents the perfect role model for children as a kangaroo doctor. Marsupials inherently contain a pouch, and Doctoroo is no exception, sporting a sparkling pouch that contains all of her medical supplies when she’s about to go on a mission! Add that to her piloting expertise and globetrotting and Doctoroo is certainly a role model for children everywhere. While teaching basic health lessons to kids along with her furry friends, she certainly pushes the envelope, challenging kids to learn, at times, complex topics, while solving exciting mysteries. I believe that Doctoroo is unrivaled as a media character today.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
I would say the synergism of podcasts, virtual book sours, and social media has represented a trifecta of sorts. A little tip: If you promote your books/blogs on social media, always retweet it, “like” it or “love it, or send it around again. This is how the algorithms work. The more you re-circulate the social media campaigns, the higher the ad campaign appears on the search engine.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Please stop, think carefully about how passionate you are, and whether or not you have the resources and the bandwidth to proceed with a project of this magnitude. This is not a side project—it is life-consuming. Luckily for me, I enjoy every minute of it. If you feel the same way, I would say a project like this is for you. I'm finding that just getting the book out there and sharing Doctoroo and friends with the world is challenging, but the books are starting to gain traction, which warms my heart. I believe in these adorable, noble characters and hope that everyone can reap the benefits of reading about them. The take-home message is: love what you’re doing, whether it’s successful or not. You can’t predict success, but you can love what you do.
What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
I have so many role models, this is hard to answer! However, as a child growing up, I can recall Judy Blume and Carolyn Keene's (Nancy Drew series) books representing a couple of my favorites. Judy Blume wrote great coming of age books for young girls and Keene wrote exciting mysteries for young girls. Thirty-plus years later and I still remember them! Of course, I’ll never forget the classics I read later, but who can forget these formative gems?
How do you balance work and life?
This is a work in progress. Self-care has always been a challenge for me, but I’m working to achieve it- I practice Yoga almost daily, I eat healthfully, I try to ensure I sleep 8 hours nightly, I exercise daily, and try to maintain good social supports. I admit I still work much harder than I should, but let’s just say balance is my 2022 New Year’s Resolution!
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
I love to exercise, so I try to work that in tennis, running, swimming, yoga, Pilates, spinning, hiking, to name a few. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, I have to squeeze in some travel! I also enjoy reading, Netflix, and writing (as you know)!)
What do you have planned for the next six months?
I plan to release 2 more Doctoroo books. I have a movie on the horizon called Blonde Doctors (stay tuned!) I’m also the founder and CEO of a biotech company called Caelum Diagnostic Solutions, which is a real-time cancer diagnostic company poised to yield cancer diagnoses in seconds for patients with suspicious diagnoses. To put it lightly, I have a lot on my plate! If all goes well, the next six months will include some marketing tours, appearances, book signings, and more! My dreams include a cartoon series for Doctoroo as well as some merchandising opportunities for the characters. Of course, a lot will depend on the global pandemic- as a physician and humanitarian, it is my daily wish that our world will survive this pandemic and turn it into a memory.
How can our readers connect with you?
Please find me at www.doctoroo.health. I’m also on Instagram at Rachel Wellner. My website is Drrachelwellner.com.
I have two Facebook pages: rachelwellner@hotmail.com and Rachelwellner@gmail.com and I’m on Linked in as Rachel Wellner. I’m also building a super site for blogging. I’ll keep you posted on that one!