The network of public health professionals, which includes biologists, insurance providers, pharmacists and hospital directors, works as an interdisciplinary team toward managing illness and preserving health. While some enter this field after years of study and exploration, others realize the satisfaction of working in public health from a young age.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently funded a program at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health to prepare disadvantaged students from elementary school to college for careers in healthcare.

The Health Careers Opportunity Program: Pathways to Health Professions will receive a $3 million grant to work toward bring credentialed public health professionals to communities which lack access to the trained experts.

"The idea is to pique the student's interest in the health professions and give them the training to be more competitive to enter programs to become health scientists, professors in public health and health practitioners," said Amuwo associate dean of the UIC School of Public Health.

Grant directors hope that the career opportunity program will help to close the gap in access to quality health care between disadvantaged communities and the rest of the country.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment in the healthcare industry will increase 22% by 2016, about twice as much as employment for all industries over the same period.