On May 9 and 16, the Faculty of Dentistry hosted two White Coat Ceremonies for the DDS Classes who started in September of 2020 and 2021. These ceremonies, which typically occur at the beginning of dental school, were delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The White Coat ceremony inducts new students in the Faculty of Dentistry’s undergraduate dentistry program, signaling, as said in their oath, their intentions to “provide ethical and considerate health care, always putting the patient first.”
Emma Grace Wilson, president of the class of 2025, says despite the delay, there are benefits to having the ceremony later in the year.
“It’s actually nice it’s at the end of the year because I know everyone and it’s exciting to see them on stage – I’m so proud of them all,” she says. “We’ve all worked so hard to get here. The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage and it’ a privilege to say the oath and don the white coat.”
Wilson, who originally envisioned a career as a veterinarian, says she’s so grateful to be at the University of Toronto.
“Dentistry wasn’t on my radar initially, but once I decided I wanted to follow that path, U of T was the only school I applied to because it’s such a good program,” she says. “I've always had a great relationship with my own dentist and I'm excited to create similar ones with my future patients.”
Wilson has enjoyed her time at the Faculty thus far, noting it was a big adjustment to be in person after initially doing online classes.
“It's really hard to know what it's like to drill a tooth before you actually do it,” Wilson says, noting she is still loving her time at the Faculty. “The professors are so supportive. You can tell they really want you to succeed. In undergrad, you’re one of hundreds but here, you’re one of a small group. The time is already going by really fast. I’m really looking forward to what my class accomplishes together in the future.”
For Zoha Anjum, president of the class of 2024, who has been looking forward to the White Coat Ceremony since she was accepted to U of T in February 2020, this event was a long time coming.
“The ceremony has a lot of sentimental value,” she says. “I’m the eldest daughter to two immigrant health care professionals. We went through a lot of challenges as a family to get here. The ceremony signifies that ‘we made it’ in Canada.”
Anjum was familiar with the university having completed her undergraduate degree in life sciences.
“I knew the school and how things work here, and having an interest in public health, I wanted to do something that had an immediate impact on people,” she says.
While pursuing her Master of Public Health at McMaster University, Anjum completed her thesis project in global water research. This led her to complete the Water Without Borders program at United Nations University. For one of her graduate courses, Anjum explored access to dental care among Hamiltonian seniors, which sparked an interest in oral health research.
“When I started looking into the disparities in access to dental care within Canada and globally, I saw there were many gaps,” says Anjum. “My professor at the time connected me with a public health dentist to shadow them and see if I liked clinical dentistry. And I did. Pursuing this career path will allow me to combine my interests of global and oral health. It feels like it’s meant to be.”
Anjum also chose U of T because of the number of opportunities to get involved outside of the classroom.
“I knew I wanted to do more than just academics – I wanted to grow as a leader,” she says. “It was important to me to not just look at classes and clinical teaching but also other opportunities that would help me evolve as an individual.”
After nearly two years at the Faculty, Anjum can confidently say dental school has challenged her in new ways.
“I personally had no fine motor skills, no manual dexterity, before starting here,” she says. “The journey from not being able to hold a drill properly to doing complex dental procedures has been incredible. As the class of 2024, we’ve come so far in two years, I can’t wait to see how far we will go in two more. Absolutely thrilled to see what my classmates and I will accomplish in the next couple of years!”
View a gallery of the White Coat Ceremony (Class of 2025) here
View a gallery of the White Coat Ceremony (Class of 2024) here
Photo: Students at the White Coat Ceremony (Jeff Comber)