CONEY ISLAND — Manjinder Kaur has traveled an extraordinary professional journey, from immigrating from India to the U.S. to begin her career as a nurse, to taking the helm as CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health.
However, her ascent was anything but easy. A native of Amritsar, Punjab, and the youngest of five siblings, Kaur told the Brooklyn Eagle that when she was coming of age in the 1980s, advanced education was not very common for women.
The exterior of South Brooklyn Health. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
Kaur said it was not typical or traditional for a young woman to attend college. “In spite of all the adversity, I was still insistent that I needed to go and both my father and mother supported me,” she said.
“I knew from the beginning I wanted to do more, and academically, I was at the top of my class. But nursing wasn’t a very popular career choice in northern India and it was very difficult to get into nursing college.”
Ultimately, Kaur earned her nursing diploma from Christian Medical College in Ludhiana, India (followed by bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Excelsior College, and a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Grand Canyon University, when she eventually came to the U.S.).
Kaur worked in India for four years as a critical care nurse. “At that time there was a big shortage of nurses in the United States, and my dream was always to live and work in New York City,” she said.
“I arrived here in 2005, and my first job was at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx as a trauma nurse,” Kaur said. “I worked there for more than 10 years.”
From nurse to CEO
In 2016, Kaur received a request from the then-Coney Island Hospital, now NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health, to develop a curriculum for the facility. “I stayed there for a week and a half, and I fell in love with the place,” she said. “Ultimately, I was transferred.”
Kaur went on to hold increasingly senior leadership positions, including Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer in 2024. As Chief Nursing Officer, she helped lead the hospital’s nursing operation and quality-improvement efforts. As Chief Operating Officer, she oversaw hospital operations and multidisciplinary teams and helped implement initiatives focused on patient flow, safety and continuity of care.
Spectators at the recent “God Bless America” art show, hosted by South Brooklyn Health in partnership with Be Proud Inc. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
In July 2026, Kaur became CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health — the first nurse to serve as CEO of an NYC Health + Hospitals facility in recent history.
“As CEO, I oversee the full hospital operations, more than 3,000 employees,” Kaur said. Kaur calls herself “a situational leader.”
“Every situation is different, and every problem has a different solution,” she added.
Kaur leads NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health’s senior leadership team to deliver high-quality, safe, and accessible care. She also oversees a multidisciplinary workforce that includes physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, administrators, and other hospital staff, while guiding operational performance, patient safety, quality improvement, and the hospital’s broader mission to serve the South Brooklyn Community.
The metamorphosis
NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health has undergone a monumental transformation since its days as Coney Island Hospital. The institution dates to 1875, when it began as a first aid station serving Coney Island beachgoers. A permanent 100-bed hospital opened in 1910, and the hospital expanded substantially as southern Brooklyn’s population grew.
Alex Zhorov, chair of the Be Proud Board of Directors, speaks. Looking on, from left: South Brooklyn Health Director of Marketing and Communications Michael C. Saccone, Be Proud Inc. Executive Director and Founder Raisa Chernina and South Brooklyn Health CEO Manjinder Kaur. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
However, Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 was the turning point in Coney Island Hospital’s transformation. The hospital was in a flood zone, and Sandy’s storm surge inundated the basement and first floor, severely damaging the Emergency Department, imaging services, electrical systems and other critical areas. The hospital was forced to close temporarily and evacuate patients.
The rebuilding that followed was much more than a repair job. With about $923 million in FEMA funding, NYC Health + Hospitals undertook a major redesign of the campus, including a new 11-story, storm-resilient hospital, a flood-protected Emergency Department elevated to the second floor, private patient rooms, modern operating rooms and flood-resistant power, heating and water systems.
Timur Ibragimov, 14, beside his artwork, “Thank You, America.” Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
In 2021, the city announced that the former Coney Island Hospital campus would be renamed NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health, reflecting the hospital’s broader mission to serve communities throughout South Brooklyn rather than just Coney Island. The new hospital was named the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital and opened in 2023.
“Coney Island is one neighborhood, and our outreach is more than that,” Kaur said. We want to showcase that we serve not only Coney Island, but a much bigger community.
“We are in a very different state from where we were a few years ago, and my goal is to grow, but also to sustain what we have achieved. My focus is on what the community needs.”
Kaur spoke about future plans for NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health, including expanding its women’s health center, new exam rooms, and a new ultrasound facility. “We are building more space for our dental patients, and growing our cardiology area as well,” she said.
Art as therapy and healing
Kaur has a special place in her heart for Brooklyn. “One of the reasons I like it so much is because it’s so incredibly diverse, which is an amazing thing. Our patients speak more than 40 languages.
“While I live on Long Island, I often make the trip to Brooklyn, on my days off, with my two children,” Kaur said. “We walk by the Coney Island boardwalk, explore, and just have a great time.”
Roman Khrapunskiy beside his artwork. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
Kaur also described herself as a very spiritual woman and a lover of all art.
“I’m not an artist, but I appreciate it,” Kaur said. “It gives me peace. Art is incredibly important in medicine as well, and can be used as healing; it’s very therapeutic,” Kaur said.
Recently, NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health partnered with Be Proud Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Brooklyn, to host an art exhibition in its facility.
Be Proud asked its local Russian-speaking communities to capture the spirit of America, and what that means to them, through a “God bless America” art competition, celebrating 250 years as a nation.
Artists were tasked with capturing the America that inspires them, welcomes them, and has given them the freedom to dream, using any form of their choosing: painting, photography, collage, sculpture, or mixed media.
“It was an incredible experience, and a great way to showcase art in this facility, while also interacting with the community,” Kaur said.