Good Sam Featured Physician Leader: Kody Guiter, DO

Pictured: Kody Guiter, DO, with wife, Jessica, and son, Wilder Atlas.

Kody Guiter, DO, is chair of the Department of Medicine at Good Samaritan Medical Center and serves on the Peer Review and Antibiotic Stewardship committees.

He also teaches/mentors medical students from the University of Colorado.

Specializing in hospital medicine, Kody joined the Good Samaritan medical staff in 2015 after completing his residency at Michigan State University. 

What lead you to the medical profession? 

Due to a congenital bladder/kidney condition, I spent much of my early childhood in the hospital and various doctors’ offices. Despite my medical issues, this early exposure to healthcare made a positive impact on me. By 5 years old, the desire to help other people at the highest level had been imprinted on me, and my mind was made up on becoming a physician.

What is something you’re most proud of accomplishing, personally or professionally?

Professionally, I am proud of the many years of dedicated education. After earning two bachelor’s degrees (Biology and Psychology) with a minor in Mathematics, I went on to earn two master’s degrees (Public Health and Health Administration) during medical school and residency. I’m currently working towards a Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene through the University of Minnesota. This coursework is expanding my knowledge in global health and tropical and travel medicine. 

Can you tell us a little bit about your family?

My wife, Jessica, and I have been together for 16 years (married for nine). We have a sweet, adventurous 3-year-old boy, Wilder Atlas. We also have a 7-year-old Chihuahua named Bellatrix. 

When you’re not working, where would we find you/what are you doing?

Traveling! I wasn’t bitten by the travel bug until medical school after going on a couple of medical mission trips to Haiti and Guatemala. Since then, I travel every chance I get, including participation in a medical mission abroad every one to two years. In April, I spent two weeks working in a mission hospital in Mwandi, Zambia. Traveling provides an experience unlike any other: visiting novel places, meeting new people, learning history, understanding different cultures, and gaining a better perspective of the world and oneself. So far, my pièce de résistance was visiting all seven continents in one year in 2017. I look forward to sharing all the wonders of travel with my son as he grows. My lifetime goal is to visit every country; I’m currently at 70 and counting! Other than traveling, I enjoy reading (usually classic literature or science fiction), skiing, playing basketball and tennis, and soaking up the beautiful Colorado scenery at the countless local breweries.