WRITER
Athena Reich is a writer, performer, and second-year medical student whose work bridges personal narrative, reproductive health, LGBTQIA+ advocacy, medical humanities, and the arts. Her writing has appeared in Today’s Parent, HuffPost Canada, Pregnantish, Chatelaine, AACOM, Cureus, and Watermark Out News.
Her work explores solo motherhood by choice, infertility, queer identity, healthcare equity, medical education, and the emotional realities of building a family and a life outside traditional expectations. She has also written for the stage, including Lady Gaga: #ARTBIRTH, which received Time Out New York’s Critic’s Pick, ran Off-Broadway, and played Toronto’s Berkeley Street Theatre.
Athena’s creative work includes a poem commissioned by the Wildlife Conservation Society for the New York Aquarium and lyrics displayed in the permanent collection at the International Museum of Peace and Solidarity in Uzbekistan.
RECENT ARTICLES
Academic Publications & Medical Writing
Reich A. “Alan L. Hart: An Innovative Pioneer in Radiology and Transgender Rights.” Cureus. Published July 7, 2025. Indexed in PubMed.
Reich A. “Voices Unheard: Exploring the Experiences of LGBTQIA+ Individuals in Medicine.” Cureus. Poster publication. April 2025.
Reich A, Colbert KA. “Enhancing LGBTQIA+ Representation in Healthcare Professions: Addressing Disparities Through Visibility and Policy Reform.” Cureus. In review, 2025.
Reich A. “Pride, Pulse and the Power of Being Seen: A Queer Medical Student’s Reflection.” AACOM. June 2025.
Reich A. “Postpartum Rib Somatic Dysfunction Presenting as Chest Pain: Diagnostic Challenges and the Role of Osteopathic Evaluation.” Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. In preparation, 2025.
Selected Scholarly & Medical Humanities Presentations
American Medical Women’s Association National Conference, San Francisco — March 2026. Presented accepted video/song deliverable from the AMWA / Studio AMWA Ko Iki Alpha Centurion Prize project.
GLMA Annual Conference, Minneapolis — October 2025. Presented CME-accredited workshop based on IRB-approved research on LGBTQIA+ healthcare professional experiences and workplace equity.
Women in Medicine Conference — August 2025. Presented “From Research to Action,” integrating pilot data, guided reflection, AI-assisted songwriting, and action planning.
Florida Academy of Osteopathy Annual Conference, Orlando — April 2025. Presented “Beyond the Heart: Osteopathic Diagnosis of Postpartum Chest Pain — First Rib Somatic Dysfunction Following Breastfeeding-Related Strain.”
AMWA Region 4 Conference — March 2025. Presented research on LGBTQIA+ resilience, representation, and equity in healthcare.
Lifestyle Articles
“Beyond the Line: How Do We Cross the Great Divide?” — Watermark Out News, viewpoint column, February 2026.
“Pride, Pulse and the Power of Being Seen: A Queer Medical Student’s Reflection” — AACOM, June 2025.
“One Person’s Journey Through IVF and Into the Health Care Industry” — Watermark Out News, feature/profile, December 2025.
“The Invisibility of the Single Parent During Covid-19” Chatelaine
“This Was Not My Dream, but I’m Glad I Chose to be a Single Mom” Today’s Parent
“3 Things Straight People Can Learn about Dealing with Infertility from the LGBTQ Community” Pregnantish Magazine.
“Why I am Out and Proud About My Children’s Donor Conception Story” Pregnantish Magazine
“5 Tips For Surviving the Holidays, From A Queer Single Mom By Choice” HuffPost Canada
“Setting The Record Straight On 4 Misconceptions About Infertility” HuffPost
"Am I Crazy or Brave? I’m Single and Trying for a Second Child" Pregnantish Magazine
"How I'm Building My Family with Donor Eggs and Sperm" Today's Parent
"8 things not to say to an older mom with a baby" Today's Parent
"5 Ways to Succeed While Trying to Conceive" Today's Parent
"Infertility Sucks, But You Can Transcend It. Here's How" HuffPost Canada.
"Here's How to Avoid Being 'That' Parent On a Flight" HuffPost Canada.
"5 New Year's Resolutions for Single Moms" Published in HuffPost Canada.
"I Ditched The Guilt And Loved My Vacation As A Single Mother By Choice". Published in HuffPost Canada.
"Why, despite always wanting the 'picket fence', I chose to become a single mom". Published in Chatelaine
"Lesbian ISO Sperm (Or, Selections from the Heart" Athena reveals how she selected sperm when she was trying to get pregnant. Published on Path 2 Parenthood.
"Baby Steps". Personal essay about being a lesbian single mother by choice and my journey through infertility. Published in GO MAGAZINE in print and online here. See image of hardcopy here.
Personal essay "Naturally Mama" for Mary Esther Malloy's "A Mindful Cesarean". (website & e-book)
Host, Cook and Blogger for The Curious Cook Series.
Editorials for IndieSceneTV. Samples include:
Plays
Author of "LADY GAGA: #ARTBIRTH" which played Off-Broadway at the Laurie Beechman Theater 2014-2015 and received Time Out Critic's Pick, and ran at the Berkeley Street Theatre (Canadian Stage) in Toronto 2017. #artbirth was set for a 4 week run in London, UK and 3 weeks in San Francisco (funded in part by Canada Council and Ontario Arts Grant) in 2020.
Co-author of "Hush: Inside the Waiting Womb". Play premiered at The Players Club in NYC. Directory Christian Campbell. Co-authors Christian Campbell, America Olivo, Erin Cummings, Sanam Erfani, Marni Neve.
Author (book/lyrics/music) of "Athena Under Attack: the musical", produced at the Producer's Club in NYC and the Toronto Fringe Festival. For cast recording click here. For play excerpt click here.
Poetry
"Cassandra and the Great King Coral". Poem commissioned by the Wildlife Conservation Society for the opening of the Alien Stinger Exhibit at the New York Aquarium. Children's book with concrete poetry. Read sample here. For full manuscript, contact me.
"How Can I Sleep" published in the book "911...NYC...The Days After".
Selections from "Athena Under Attack" (lyrics and music) on display at the International Museum of Peace and Solidarity in Uzbekistan.
Songs
For discography, please see music page.