Luis Armando Godoy, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Director of Diversity and Inclusion
UC Davis School of Medicine
UC Davis Health System
Saturday, March 14, 2026,
10am-11:30am PST
Workshop Description:
Mentorship can be the difference between guessing your way through premed and building a focused, confident path to medicine. This workshop is designed for community college and university premed students who want practical, realistic guidance on finding mentors and learning how to be effectively mentored. Dr. Luis Armando Godoy, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery, will explain what strong mentoring relationships actually look like, how to approach physicians and faculty professionally, and how to turn a single conversation into sustained support over time. You will learn concrete strategies for outreach, follow-up, and showing up prepared, as well as how to ask for feedback, research opportunities, clinical exposure, and letters of recommendation in a way that is respectful and effective. You can come, ask your questions, and get answers in an interactive format that cuts through second-hand rumors and advice from people who have no clue about the admissions process or how medical careers are built. Whether you are early in your journey or preparing to apply soon, you will leave with a mentorship plan, stronger communication tactics, and clear next steps you can implement immediately to grow your network and your readiness for medical school.
About the Speaker:
Luis Godoy was born in Michoacan, Mexico. He immigrated to this country with his family as a young boy and grew up working on the farms of Northern California picking and cutting fruit. By the age of seven, he would come home from school and work with his parents. There was no time or energy for homework and barely enough to learn English. He worked hard and did his best but always felt like he was falling behind. He struggled mightily in school and at one point he dropped out to avoid gang activity that would have set his life off on the wrong foot. He became a father during his senior year of high school. Becoming a teenage father changed his life forever. Commitment, dedication and passion became more than words to him; they became his way of life. Even though he struggled to juggle work, family and school, he managed to graduate high school on time. After graduation he worked as a cook, a mechanic, a medical assistant, and eventually an X-ray tech.
It was not until he was in his mid-twenties that he built up the confidence to go back to school to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. He attended Solano Community College, transferred to UC Davis where he earned a degree in biology — and then got accepted to the School of Medicine.
He is a strong believer of the power of mentorship and has experienced it firsthand as it helped him keep his dream of a medical career alive. He now strives to be that example for others and to help lift others up to achieve their dreams as well.
Today, he is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Assistant Professor at UC Davis School of Medicine and UC Davis Health System. He is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons where he serves on a committee for Diversity and Inclusion. He has been inducted to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He is also a recipient of the UC Davis University Medal and has received numerous teaching awards.
UC Davis surgeon recognized nationally for commitment to diversity in medicine
Here is a short video from Dr. Godoy while he was a resident: https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/from-gang-member-to-doctor-sacramento-surgeon-proves-its-never-too-late-to-follow-your-dreams/103-8d2aafba-ebf4-4a29-8df8-9742e6b0908c
Register for Free:
What: The PreMed Mentorship Playbook: Finding Mentors and Being Mentored the Right Way
When: Saturday, March 14, 2026, 10 AM (Pacific Standard Time)
You will receive an immediate email confirmation of your registration from Zoom. PLEASE check your SPAM or JUNK folder, as the email might be directed there. Additionally, you will receive an email reminder from Zoom ONE hour before the event, sent to the same email address you used for registration.
