; and (3) mitigating disparities in health and health care. 313. Career support for skilled, internationally educated health professionals (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) According to the Association of Schools of Public Health, projections indicate a nationwide shortage of up to 250,000 public health workers needed by 2020. (2) Similar trends are projected for other health professions indicating shortages across disciplines, including within the fields of nursing (500,000 by 2025), dentistry (15,000 by 2025), pharmacy (38,000 by 2030), mental and behavioral health, primary care (46,000 by 2025), and community and allied health. (3) A nationwide health workforce shortage will result in serious health threats and more severe and costly health care needs, due to, in part, a delayed response to food-borne outbreaks, emerging infectious diseases, natural disasters, fewer cancer screenings, and delayed treatment. (4) Vulnerable and underserved populations and health professional shortage areas will be most severely impacted by the health workforce shortage. (5) According to the Migration Policy Institute, over 2,000,000 college-educated immigrants in the United States today are unemployed or underemployed in low- or semi-skilled jobs that fail to draw on their education and expertise. (6) Approximately 2 out of every 5 internationally educated immigrants are unemployed or underemployed. (7) According to Drexel University Center for Labor Markets and Policy, underemployment for internationally educated immigrant women is 28 percent higher than for their male counterparts. (8) According to the Drexel University Center for labor markets and policy, the mean annual earnings of underemployed immigrants were $32,000, or 43 percent less than United States born college graduates employed in the college labor market. (9) According to Upwardly Global and the Welcome Back Initiative, with proper guidance and support, underemployed skilled immigrants typically increase their income by 215 percent to 900 percent.