NIH Record - National Institutes of Health

‘Everybody Dance!’

‘Wear Red Day’ Stresses Social Support, Physical Activity

Birdseye view of dance platform with two instructors leading crowd of dancers.
Everybody dance! On the platform, fitness instructors Linda Bessacque (l) and Lakisha Wade (r) encourage crowd to get moving during Wear Red Day at the Clinical Center.

Photo:  Steve Canning

Woman hands heart-shaped sticker to employee.
Brittany Royall, a health communications specialist with NHLBI, distributes a heart-shaped sticker to a visitor in the C wing of Bldg. 31.

Photo:  Steve Canning

Man in chef's clothing holds a spatula with fish on it.
Chef Brendon McCalla presents baked tilapia with tomato sauce and basil, the special of the day, in the second floor cafeteria of Bldg. 10.

Photo:  Steve Canning

Group of people dressed in red, holding red food and signs.
The cafeteria crew in Bldg. 31 show their excitement for Wear Red Day by displaying heart-themed shirts, signs and red food.

Photo:  Steve Canning

Woman leans over table to sign a poster-size pledge card.
Tawanna Berry (l) signs a pledge card for #OurHearts.

Photo:  Steve Canning

Close-up of red high-heeled shoes with heart shapes on the heels
Heart health on our minds—head to toe. Whoa, these red pumps are hard to beat!

Photo:  Steve Canning

Large group of people dressed in red, dancing.
On Wear Red Day, NHLBI chief of staff Dr. Nakela Cook (r, red jacket) joins others in dance event in the Clinical Research Center atrium.

Photo:  Steve Canning

Each year on the first Friday in February, NHLBI, The Heart Truth and organizations around the country mark National Wear Red Day to bring greater attention to heart disease awareness as the leading cause of death for Americans. 

As in previous years, NHLBI led NIH celebrations with a flash mob dance in the Clinical Research Center atrium, red food features and displays in campus cafeterias, Wear Red sticker and pin distribution in lobbies, pledge posters to be more active and a “hashtag our hearts” social media campaign featuring #HeartMonth, #MoveWithHeart, #WearRedDay and #OurHearts.

“Research shows that having social support makes being heart-healthy easier. Join the #OurHearts movement and show us how you, your friends, family, coworkers and others in your community are preventing heart disease. Learn more: https://go.usa.gov/xdZD5,” read one NHLBI Twitter post.

The NIH Record

The NIH Record, founded in 1949, is the biweekly newsletter for employees of the National Institutes of Health.

Published 25 times each year, it comes out on payday Fridays.

Editor: Dana Talesnik
Dana.Talesnik@nih.gov

Associate Editor: Patrick Smith
pat.smith@nih.gov

Assistant Editor: Eric Bock
Eric.Bock@nih.gov

Staff Writer: Amber Snyder
Amber.Snyder@nih.gov

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