[1] Welner began her career as a surgeon and an infertility specialist, directing a women's clinic in Atlanta, Georgia.
After bleak initial prognosis and five years of rehabilitation, she was eventually able to resume a career in medicine, if not as a surgeon.
Her Washington D.C. location allowed Welner to consult with federal agencies, and with the American Cancer Society and other national organizations.
Sandra Welner died in 2001, in Washington DC, from extensive burns sustained in an apartment fire after a candle flame came in contact with loose clothing.
[9] The Welner table is in production and can be found in clinics worldwide,[10] especially in her home city, at the Center for Women with Disabilities at Magee-Women's Hospital.