diff --git a/backend/api/__init__.py b/backend/api/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..84c5a52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/api/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+"""Expose API routes via FastAPI routers from this package."""
diff --git a/backend/api/authentication.py b/backend/api/authentication.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/backend/api/health.py b/backend/api/health.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..425e1ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/api/health.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+"""Confirm system health via monitorable API end points.
+
+Production systems monitor these end points upon deployment, and at regular intervals, to ensure the service is running.
+"""
+
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends
+from ..services.health import HealthService
+
+openapi_tags = {
+    "name": "System Health",
+    "description": "Production systems monitor these end points upon deployment, and at regular intervals, to ensure the service is running.",
+}
+
+api = APIRouter(prefix="/api/health")
+
+
+@api.get("", tags=["System Health"])
+def health_check(health_svc: HealthService = Depends()) -> str:
+    return health_svc.check()
diff --git a/backend/api/user.py b/backend/api/user.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..87d3a23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/api/user.py
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends
+from ..services import UserService
+from ..models.user_model import User, UserTypeEnum
+
+from typing import List
+
+api = APIRouter(prefix="/api/user")
+
+openapi_tags = {
+    "name": "Users",
+    "description": "User profile search and related operations.",
+}
+
+
+# TODO: Add security using HTTP Bearer Tokens
+# TODO: Enable authorization by passing user uuid to API
+# TODO: Create custom exceptions
+@api.get("", response_model=List[User], tags=["Users"])
+def get_all(user_id: str, user_svc: UserService = Depends()):
+    subject = user_svc.get_user_by_uuid(user_id)
+
+    if subject.role != UserTypeEnum.ADMIN:
+        raise Exception(f"Insufficient permissions for user {subject.uuid}")
+
+    return user_svc.all()
diff --git a/backend/database.py b/backend/database.py
index a75f451..a256970 100644
--- a/backend/database.py
+++ b/backend/database.py
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ engine = sqlalchemy.create_engine(_engine_str(), echo=True)
 
 def db_session():
     """Generator function offering dependency injection of SQLAlchemy Sessions."""
-    print("ran")
     session = Session(engine)
     try:
         yield session
diff --git a/backend/entities/user_entity.py b/backend/entities/user_entity.py
index ebc7a87..9534746 100644
--- a/backend/entities/user_entity.py
+++ b/backend/entities/user_entity.py
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ class UserEntity(EntityBase):
     )
     experience: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(Integer, nullable=False)
     group: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(50))
+    uuid: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String, nullable=True)
 
     @classmethod
     def from_model(cls, model: User) -> Self:
@@ -62,6 +63,7 @@ class UserEntity(EntityBase):
             program=model.program,
             experience=model.experience,
             group=model.group,
+            uuid=model.uuid,
         )
 
     def to_model(self) -> User:
@@ -83,4 +85,5 @@ class UserEntity(EntityBase):
             program=self.program,
             role=self.role,
             created_at=self.created_at,
+            uuid=self.uuid,
         )
diff --git a/backend/main.py b/backend/main.py
index e69de29..8bd689f 100644
--- a/backend/main.py
+++ b/backend/main.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+from fastapi import FastAPI, Request
+from fastapi.responses import JSONResponse
+from fastapi.middleware.gzip import GZipMiddleware
+
+from .api import user, health
+
+description = """
+Welcome to the **COMPASS** RESTful Application Programming Interface.
+"""
+
+app = FastAPI(
+    title="Compass API",
+    version="0.0.1",
+    description=description,
+    openapi_tags=[user.openapi_tags, health.openapi_tags],
+)
+
+app.add_middleware(GZipMiddleware)
+
+feature_apis = [user, health]
+
+for feature_api in feature_apis:
+    app.include_router(feature_api.api)
+
+
+# Add application-wide exception handling middleware for commonly encountered API Exceptions
+@app.exception_handler(Exception)
+def permission_exception_handler(request: Request, e: Exception):
+    return JSONResponse(status_code=403, content={"message": str(e)})
diff --git a/backend/models/user_model.py b/backend/models/user_model.py
index 1ba4e18..d7c1521 100644
--- a/backend/models/user_model.py
+++ b/backend/models/user_model.py
@@ -15,3 +15,4 @@ class User(BaseModel):
     program: List[ProgramTypeEnum]
     role: UserTypeEnum
     created_at: Optional[datetime]
+    uuid: str | None = None
diff --git a/backend/script/reset_demo.py b/backend/script/reset_demo.py
index d4c1aa0..a014d20 100644
--- a/backend/script/reset_demo.py
+++ b/backend/script/reset_demo.py
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 from sqlalchemy import create_engine
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 import subprocess
 
 from ..database import engine, _engine_str
 from ..env import getenv
 from .. import entities
 
+from ..test.services import user_test_data
+
 database = getenv("POSTGRES_DATABASE")
 
 engine = create_engine(_engine_str(), echo=True)
@@ -16,3 +19,6 @@ subprocess.run(["python3", "-m", "backend.script.create_database"])
 
 entities.EntityBase.metadata.drop_all(engine)
 entities.EntityBase.metadata.create_all(engine)
+
+with Session(engine) as session:
+    user_test_data.insert_fake_data(session)
diff --git a/backend/services/health.py b/backend/services/health.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..45d61aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/services/health.py
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+"""
+Verify connectivity to the database from the service layer for health check purposes.
+
+The production system will regularly check the health of running containers via accessing an API endpoint.
+The API endpoint is backed by this service which executes a simple statement against our backing database.
+In more complex deployments, where multiple backing services may be depended upon, the health check process
+would necessarily also become more complex to reflect the health of all subsystems.
+
+In this context health does not refer to correctness as much as running, connected, and responsive.
+"""
+
+from fastapi import Depends
+from sqlalchemy import text
+from ..database import Session, db_session
+
+
+class HealthService:
+    _session: Session
+
+    def __init__(self, session: Session = Depends(db_session)):
+        self._session = session
+
+    def check(self):
+        stmt = text("SELECT 'OK', NOW()")
+        result = self._session.execute(stmt)
+        row = result.all()[0]
+        return str(f"{row[0]} @ {row[1]}")
diff --git a/backend/services/user.py b/backend/services/user.py
index c354215..be01e00 100644
--- a/backend/services/user.py
+++ b/backend/services/user.py
@@ -26,6 +26,21 @@ class UserService:
 
         return user_entity.to_model()
 
+    def get_user_by_uuid(self, uuid: str) -> User:
+        """
+        Gets a user by uuid from the database
+
+        Returns: A User Pydantic model
+
+        """
+        query = select(UserEntity).where(UserEntity.uuid == uuid)
+        user_entity: UserEntity | None = self._session.scalar(query)
+
+        if user_entity is None:
+            raise Exception(f"No user found with matching uuid: {uuid}")
+
+        return user_entity.to_model()
+
     def all(self) -> list[User]:
         """
         Returns a list of all Users
diff --git a/backend/test/services/user_test_data.py b/backend/test/services/user_test_data.py
index ca72816..b8a6d98 100644
--- a/backend/test/services/user_test_data.py
+++ b/backend/test/services/user_test_data.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ roles = UserTypeEnum
 
 volunteer = User(
     id=1,
+    uuid="test1",
     username="volunteer",
     email="volunteer@compass.com",
     experience=1,
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ volunteer = User(
 
 employee = User(
     id=2,
+    uuid="test2",
     username="employee",
     email="employee@compass.com",
     experience=5,
@@ -35,6 +37,7 @@ employee = User(
 
 admin = User(
     id=3,
+    uuid="test3",
     username="admin",
     email="admin@compass.com",
     experience=10,
@@ -51,6 +54,7 @@ admin = User(
 newUser = User(
     id=4,
     username="new",
+    uuid="test4",
     email="new@compass.com",
     experience=1,
     group="volunteer",