Jennifer Gray grew up taking health care for granted. It was an unspoken perk of having a physician dad. So, when Gray (a scuba diver and Harvard law grad) moved away from home, she was surprised to discover how complex her health plan was. “When I started my new job, I decided to try a consumer-driven health plan; last month, one trip to the doctor used up my $1,200 health account,” she says.

Watching her health finances evaporate in a twinkling only made Gray more determined to reform the system. In law school, she focused on the intersection of health care and law, and did internships at state and public interest agencies. She also wrote her third-year graduation paper on the communication gap between physicians and minority patients and how it contributes to disparities in health services.

Gray wants to improve the health care system—and access to it—through better policy and management.