Lauren Underwood is a potential candidate for Congress in the Illinois 14th Congressional District. Lauren is a registered nurse with experience in federal policy, advocacy, nursing education and clinical research. She currently works for a Medicaid managed care plan in Illinois. Lauren was an appointee in the Obama Administration, working as a Senior Advisor at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She served in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response, the office that leads the nation in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters. Prior to this appointment, Lauren worked as a Policy Coordinator in the Immediate Office of the Secretary at HHS, where she managed the clearance and review of regulations, secretarial correspondence, and other policy documents relating to health reform issues including private insurance reform, healthcare quality and Medicare. Lauren completed a Bachelors of Science in Nursing at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor and earned a joint Masters of Science in Nursing and Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Naperville, Illinois.