Fran Buffett - Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology (Rehabilitation), 2015
Master of Exercise Physiology (Rehabilitation) (2015) and Postgraduate Certificate in Human Nutrition (2019).
Armed with an adventurous spirit and bright, infectious smile – there’s no stopping Fran Buffett. Fran has already made a significant impact across multiple areas of the health industry, empowering people with complex health conditions to become the best versions of themselves.
Now a Health Safety Environment Advisor for a leading medical technology company, Fran is also the co-founder of North Sydney strength and movement gym Performance Playground.
Graduating in from Charles Sturt in 2015 with a Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology (Rehabilitation) Fran went on to complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Human Nutrition in 2019.
“I am proud of the non-obvious skills I learned from tertiary education at Charles Sturt,” says Fran. Attributing this to experience to opening doors to allow for a versatile career progression.
“As a result, I have been able to cofound a successful gym, create value in a leading medical device company and have a side hustle in a second area I am super excited about.”
Fran is passionate about making a difference to healthcare and wants to impact the health industry in a way that is not only digestible, (no pun intended) but scientific.
“I believe evidence-based knowledge - both having it and imparting it - will be able to cut through harmful trends and online fads, if we keep at it. We all have the power to make a difference to other lives and our own lives. It starts with one person! By paving the way for otherwise, we can start a ripple effect. Never forget the power of the 1 percenters.”
Growing up on remote Norfolk Island, her childhood was a rare mix of Tahitian dancing, bamboo fighting with her brother and shooting wild chooks with homemade arrows. A lover of adventure and the great outdoors from an early age, it is no surprise Fran is a strong advocate for environmental preservation.
“We need a forced commitment by every government and nation to actively protect our environment. This will only ever positively affect humankind as well as our natural environment, so there really no excuse.”
“We need a forced commitment by every government and nation to actively protect our environment. This will only ever positively affect humankind as well as our natural environment, so there really no excuse.”
Reminiscing on her time at Charles Sturt, Fran’s stand out memory was her graduation ceremony in Wagga Wagga. Leaving at 3am to drive 5 hours there and back in one day – she wasn’t missing it for the world.
“The opening ceremony alone made the day. The speakers really portrayed the values of Charles Sturt University. Their focus on the traditional custodians of our land, commitment to the environment and clear messaging around health and environmental sciences for progression. I felt so connected to the vision in that moment and was really proud to be a part of Charles Sturt.”
The alumni community were able to benefit from Fran’s diverse experience when she volunteered as an ambassador for our 2021 Alumni Fun Run. Fran gave back by sharing nutrition tips and technique videos with our participants.