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
Click on the YouTube link below to view this webinar. Once you have viewed the presentation, you can log back in and take the Quiz for this event. A score of 70% or above will earn you a Certificate for 2 hours of Medical Mentorship.
Workshop Description:
The path to medicine is rarely perfect, and resilience often matters as much as raw achievement. This workshop is designed for community college and university premed students who have faced setbacks, doubt, or nontraditional detours and want a grounded, practical roadmap for moving forward. Dr. Luis Armando Godoy, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery and Director of Diversity and Inclusion at UC Davis School of Medicine, will share his journey from high school dropout to cardiothoracic surgery, highlighting the turning points, habits, and support systems that made long-term success possible. He will discuss how admissions committees interpret adversity, upward trends, reinvention, and sustained service, and how to communicate your story with accountability, maturity, and purpose. You can come, ask your questions, and get answers in a candid, supportive environment, hearing directly from the source instead of second-hand rumors or advice from people who have no clue about the admission process. Expect actionable guidance on mentorship, academic recovery, time management, and building a record of impact. Leave with renewed confidence, a clearer strategy, and concrete next steps you can apply immediately to your premed journey.
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
View for Free:
What: Resilience and Grit in Medicine: From High School Dropout to Cardiothoracic Surgery
When: Saturday, March 14, 2026, 10 AM (Pacific Standard Time)
YouTube link…
