Alumna Sandra Lindsay, First to Receive Covid Vaccination, Is BMCC’s 2021 Presidential Medal Honoree

The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Nursing Pinning Ceremony on June 2 at 3 p.m. will feature speakers including Presidential Medal Honoree Sandra Lindsay (Nursing, ’94), who serves as Director of Nursing for critical care at Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens and is the first person in the United States to have received the Covid vaccination.

Born and raised in Jamaica, the West Indies, Dr. Lindsay moved to the United States in 1986. Throughout her educational journey and career in nursing, she has seen the impact of emergency care on communities in the New York City area, and the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

After earning an Associate in Nursing degree at BMCC—where she was valedictorian of the Nursing program—and passing the rigorous National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for Registered Nurses, Lindsay joined Northwell Health’s Lenox Hill Hospital as a registered nurse in the oncology department.

Three years later, she shifted her focus to becoming a critical care nurse. She served as Nurse Manager for the adult medical intensive care unit at Lenox Hill Hospital for more than seven years, then assumed the role of director.

During that time, Lindsay also pursued her academic goals. She earned a bachelor’s in Nursing from St. Joseph’s college, a masters degree in Nursing from Lehman College, CUNY, and an MBA from Hofstra University. In March 2021, Lindsay completed a Doctor of Health Sciences degree with a concentration in global health, leadership and organizational behavior from A. T. Still University.

The nation’s first Covid vaccine recipient, Sandra Lindsay is a fierce advocate for the public health of underserved communities

On December 14, 2020, Sandra Lindsay was the first person in the United States to receive the Covid vaccination, and seized that opportunity to speak out as a fierce advocate for vaccine confidence, especially in underserved communities.

“At BMCC, we provide our nursing students with tutoring, special advisement, a state-of-the-art nursing lab complete with human patient simulators. We are committed to providing the support they need, so they can excel as nursing professionals,” says BMCC President Anthony E. Munroe. “That spirit of support and helping others is carried forward by our nursing graduates, and it is embodied by our Nursing alumna Dr. Sandra Lindsay, whose example as the nation’s first Covid vaccination recipient and resolute message on the importance of the vaccination will save lives and help our city and country move forward from this difficult time.”

To recognize her exemplar service as a medical professional, as well as her valuable service as a spokesperson for the importance of Covid vaccination, Lindsay has been selected as BMCC’s Presidential Medal Honoree for the Nursing Program Pinning Ceremony on June 2 at 3 p.m.

“We are honored that Dr. Lindsay, whose career began at BMCC, will be inspiring this years’ graduates in every major, from nursing to engineering, studio art and teacher education,” said President Munroe. “All graduates of BMCC are equipped to change the world for the better, and they approach that challenge in many different ways.”