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<\/a>The exterior of South Brooklyn Health. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\nKaur said it was not typical or traditional for a young woman to attend college. \u201cIn spite of all the adversity, I was still insistent that I needed to go and both my father and mother supported me,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew from the beginning I wanted to do more, and academically, I was at the top of my class. But nursing wasn\u2019t a very popular career choice in northern India\u00a0 and it was very difficult to get into nursing college.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Kaur earned her nursing diploma from Christian Medical College in Ludhiana, India (followed by bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in nursing from Excelsior College, and a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Grand Canyon University, when she eventually came to the U.S.).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaur worked in India for four years as a critical care nurse. \u201cAt 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,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI arrived here in 2005, and my first job was at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx as a trauma nurse,\u201d Kaur said. \u201cI worked there for more than 10 years.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
From nurse to CEO\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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. \u201cI stayed there for a week and a half, and I fell in love with the place,\u201d she said. \u201cUltimately, I was transferred.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In July 2026, Kaur became CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals\/South Brooklyn Health \u2014 the first nurse to serve as CEO of an NYC Health + Hospitals facility in recent history.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs CEO, I oversee the full hospital operations, more than 3,000 employees,\u201d Kaur said. Kaur calls herself\u00a0 \u201ca situational leader.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cEvery situation is different, and every problem has a different solution,\u201d she added.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kaur leads NYC Health + Hospitals\/South Brooklyn Health\u2019s 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\u2019s broader mission to serve the South Brooklyn Community.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The metamorphosis\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n NYC Health + Hospitals\/South Brooklyn Health has undergone a monumental transformation since its days as Coney Island Hospital.\u00a0 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\u2019s population grew.<\/p>\n However, Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 was the turning point in Coney Island Hospital\u2019s transformation. The hospital was in a flood zone, and Sandy\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a>Spectators at the recent \u201cGod Bless America\u201d art show, hosted by South Brooklyn Health in partnership with Be Proud Inc. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n<\/a>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<\/p>\n