On Tuesday, November 7, thirty students from The Armory College Prep and Great Minds program celebrated Brain Day! Our students got to explore the fascinating world of neuroscience, guided by experts in the field. Deepest thanks to Armory Board Member, Christina Bilsky, Dr. Mark Bilsky, Dr. Alexandra Giantini Larsen and Alexandra Clark for helping us put together this remarkable day.

The day kicked off with a game of Jeopardy, challenging students to remember different "brain facts." Following that, the students enjoyed a healthy lunch, packed with ingredients known for promoting brain development.

Next, we headed to the Gabriele Bartoli Brain Tumor Laboratory, part of the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Here, our students engaged with various health professionals who led them through a series of activities. The first was an interactive presentation on brain tumors and their mysterious origins. The second involved practicing with medical-grade pipettes and discussing the importance of precision and consistency in research. The third and final activity involved exploring a mouse brain and observing its neurons through a microscope!

Back at The Armory, Dr. Alexandra Giantini Larsen, in her fifth year of a seven year neurosurgical residency at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, guided the students. Dr. Larsen has been awarded grants from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) and NewYork-Presbyterian’s Health Justice in Action (HJA) Fund. Both grants are in support of Dr. Larsen’s efforts to increase diversity in neurosurgery by reaching out to high school students to encourage and motivate them toward careers in medicine.  “Increasing ethnic and racial diversity in neurosurgery is paramount to rectifying health care disparities and decreasing health inequity,” says Dr. Giantini Larsen. “It is vital we cultivate a workforce that is representative of the patients that we treat.”

Each child received a medical-grade scalpel and a sheep brain. Dr. Larsen taught the students about brain biology, providing an unforgettable hands-on learning experience. Brain Day deepened our students' understanding of anatomy and the professional paths available to them. 

Deepest thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Mark Bilsky, Dr. Alexandra Giantini Larsen and Alexandra Clark for helping us put together this remarkable day.Thank you also to all of our partners from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center for making this incredible opportunity possible!