Dr Frank Schultheiss grew up in the leafy vineyards of the Palatinate area in the southwest of Germany, and during civilian service, trained as a paramedic and educator for first-aid courses. It was during this time that he discovered a passion for medicine.

With a connection to the ocean and a love of windsurfing, Frank moved to the Baltic Sea City of Lübeck in Germany's north, to study medicine. In 1991, as a first-year medical student and backpacker, he passed through Lennox Head in his Holden Kingswood station wagon and fell in love with the town. After a couple of years of medical training in Spain, Scotland and Ireland, Frank returned to Australia in 2003 and has been living his dream ever since.

Frank got a place on the North Coast Vocational GP training in 2011 and obtained his Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in 2014. Since 2016, he is also an examiner for the College.

He has worked across a lot of specialties and settings, from rural general practice. city hospitals to detox units and prisons, to obstetrics and gynaecology. Frank likes the wide variety and flexibility of general practice and bringing a holistic approach to medicine.

Frank has previously worked full-time at the Aboriginal Health Service in Ballina and still does casual shifts there.

Frank loves the Australian lifestyle and climate and once his partner, a fellow German and paediatrician, finished her training in 2011, they moved to Lennox Head in 2012.

Frank’s first interest and priority is his family, living locally with his partner, son and daughter. As a family they play tennis, go surfing, windsurfing, and bushwalking. He plays Spanish guitar and speaks Spanish, which he practices with many of the South American and Spanish population in Lennox Head.