Female Athlete Triad: Is Your Young Athlete at Risk?

Guest Bio: Brenda C. Buffington, EdD, MS

Having been a female athlete for forty-three years can teach you a thing or two.  Brenda Buffington competed for the University of Pittsburgh in Cross Country and Track & Field for four years. After earning her Bachelor’s in Education at PITT, she moved on to a Master’s in Exercise Physiology at West Virginia University.  Several years later, she earned a doctoral degree in Higher Education; Leadership and Instruction from Argosy University.  Her 26-year coaching career was spent in Cross Country and Track & Field; from Middle School through College. In addition, she has been a certified Personal Trainer or a certified Health Fitness Specialist (ACSM) for the past twenty-five years. Currently, she is the Assistant Director of the United States Air Force Academy’s Human Performance Laboratory in Colorado Springs, CO, where she recently completed a ground breaking research study titled; “An Energy Balance and COPE Intervention with Division I Female Athletes.”  I was honored to present this research at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting in May 2014. A research article is currently under review for publication. As a result of this research and all of her educational and work-related experience, she has created a seminar presentation for athletes; What Every Female Athlete Should Know.  Finally, she will be presenting on this and other subjects at the National Conference of United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in AZ in December, 2014.