White Coats, Shared Dreams
Dentistry alum celebrates her son’s first step into the profession at the Faculty's 2025 White Coat Ceremony
By Rachel Boutet
On August 27th, the DDS Class of 2T9 were officially welcomed to the Faculty at the White Coat Ceremony.
The 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.” Among the group of students and attending family members were a mother and son who shared a special connection to U of T Dentistry.
Incoming DDS student Jacob Marco is following in his mother’s footsteps. Prosthodontist Effie Habsha 9T5, 9T8 Dip Prostho, 0T0 MSc Prostho not only completed all of her dental education at the Faculty but is also a current instructor in the graduate program.
Effie at her graduation with 9T5 classmates
“My mom played a big role in my decision to pursue dentistry,” says Jacob. “When I was 12 years old, playing hockey, I lost a tooth on the ice and had to rush to the dental office. After seeing how the dentists worked on my mouth, I just knew I wanted to be a part of that team.”
Effie notes that although both she and her son are in dentistry, it wasn’t a part of her family’s history.
“Dentistry was completely foreign to my life before U of T,” says Effie. “My sisters and I were the first in our family to even go to university. I knew I wanted to be in health sciences, and it was between dentistry and medicine, but I felt dentistry was a better choice for me. I enjoy the business aspect of dentistry, the flexibility my career affords me, plus, it’s something creative, and I’ve always been good with my hands which is extremely valuable for prosthodontics.”
Effie, who has three children in addition to Jacob, says she knew he would be an excellent fit for dentistry.
“Jacob is so meticulous and has great fine motor skills – I especially could tell when I saw him next to his twin brother,” says Effie. “I knew he would be so great at dentistry, but it’s so competitive, and because Jacob is so humble, I didn’t realize just how good his grades were. Once we talked it through, we figured out a path that made sense and here we are today. I am very excited for him and exceptionally proud.”
Effie with Jacob and his twin brother, Aaron
As Jacob gears up for his first year at U of T, he gets to experience similar orientation week activities as his mother did, including a boat cruise, pub nights and of course, meeting lifelong friends.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting new people,” says Jacob. “And, I’m excited to learn about the things I see my mom do every day. I’ve been fortunate to have been able to shadow her in the past, and now, I’m excited to jump right in myself.”
See more photos from the White Coat Ceremony
Photo: Effie Habsha and Jacob Marco at the White Coat Ceremony (Jeff Comber)