The Armory celebrated White Coat Day at CityTrack & Little Feet on Monday, April 11th with the help of our admirable neighbors.

Doctors from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), as well as medical students from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, led our after-school athletes through agility drills, stretches, and relay races, to name just a few activities! Dr. Donald W. Landry, M.D., Ph.D., also spoke to the group to round out the session on the oval (left). He serves as Chair of the Department of Medicine at Columbia University.

Our children in grades 2-8 sported “white coat” t-shirts to align with the occasion’s theme. White coat ceremonies have evolved into an important tradition among medical schools; today, 99% of U.S. medical schools accredited by the Association of American Medical Colleges (as well as schools in 19 other countries) perform this rite of passage, which symbolically marks a medical student’s transition from study to career, and their commitment to serve through their respective practice. Interestingly, the white coat ceremony was initiated at CUIMC’s very own Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1993.

Thank you to Dr. Landry and our doctors and medical students from NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia for making the session fun and for your work to keep us healthy.