White Coat Ceremony
Penn Dental Medicine will welcome the Class of 2029 to campus and the study of dental medicine with the White Coat Ceremony, on August 12th at 3:00pm, at the Annenberg Center for Performing Arts.
Four guest tickets will be issued to each student. Tickets will be available for pick up on the first day of orientation. There are no extra tickets available; however, students can give extra tickets to each other. Selling tickets is strictly prohibited.
This annual tradition for incoming students of Penn Dental Medicine to accept their white coats is symbolic of their commitment to the practice of dentistry and the profession’s inherent responsibilities.
Dr. Tony Saito, a pediatric dentist who has a private practice in West Boylston, MA, is a 1995 DMD graduate of Penn Dental Medicine and a member of the School’s Board of Advisors. With a passion for supporting future generations in their pursuit of a career in dental medicine, Dr. Saito is an avid mentor for students at various points of their education. He has been a volunteer for the Penn Alumni Interview program and has served as a career mentor for predental and current Penn Dental Medicine DMD students and postdoctoral pediatric residents.
Dr. Saito is actively engaged with Penn Dental Medicine on multiple levels. In addition to being on the Board of Advisors (2019-present), he is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatric Dentistry and served on the Dean’s Council as well (2018-2019). Through his support, the Saito Pediatric Care Center at Penn Dental Medicine was named in 2019, and in 2024, his generosity launched the Pediatric Dental Residency Excellence Fund.
Connecting Penn alumni across disciplines, he is the co-founder of the Penn Club of Worcester and is Chair of the Penn Alumni Ambassador Program for the Worcester Region (2022 – present). He is also a member of the Penn Parents Leadership Committee (2023 – present), and he and his wife, Margaret (a 1994 Wharton graduate), are the proud parents of two Penn undergraduates — Jason Saito (Class of 2026) and Darren Saito (Class of 2028).
Dr. Saito served as president of the Massachusetts Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and was recognized with the Penn Dental Alumni Award of Merit in 2020.