Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
Indian-origin nurse Agimol Pradeep from the United Kingdom has won the $250,000 Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2026, selected from more than 134,000 registrations from nurses across 214 countries and economies.
Pradeep, a Senior Transplant Coordinator at King’s College Hospital and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Salford in the UK, received the award at a ceremony in Kochi, India, according to a statement from Aster DM Healthcare.
The award was presented by Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, along with Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman of Aster DM Healthcare; Alisha Moopen, Managing Director and Group CEO of Aster DM Healthcare GCC; T.J. Wilson, Executive Director and Group Head of Aster DM Healthcare; and Varun Khanna, Managing Director and Group CEO of Aster DM Quality Care.
Pradeep has focused her work on addressing inequalities in healthcare and improving access to transplantation. After identifying the disproportionate impact of donor shortages on South Asian patients awaiting transplants, she co-founded the Upahaar initiative, which has registered more than 10,000 stem cell donors, the statement said.
Her work also contributed to regulatory changes that enabled internationally trained nurses to re-enter the UK workforce, helping address nursing shortages, the statement added. Her contributions to patient access, community engagement and healthcare capacity have also earned her the British Empire Medal.
Pradeep said the award would allow her to expand work aimed at improving access to organ and stem-cell donation, particularly for minority communities.
She said half of the prize money would support Upahaar and its work to help patients with organ failure and blood cancers by expanding organ and stem-cell donation programmes. She also plans to invest in nursing education and training and support nurses in becoming advocates and agents of change.
“Winning the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award is an extraordinary honour,” Pradeep said, adding that she wanted to use the recognition to turn her experience into broader action.
Dr Azad Moopen said more than 134,000 nurses had shared their stories through this year’s award, reflecting the scale and global impact of the nursing profession.
He said Pradeep’s achievement reflected the expertise, courage, compassion and commitment that the award was created to recognise, while the finalists demonstrated how leadership and innovation among nurses were helping shape the future of healthcare.
Alisha Moopen said Pradeep’s work in transplantation and organ donation among the UK’s South Asian community demonstrated how individual nurses could drive wider changes in healthcare.
“Her pioneering work in transplantation and organ donation within the UK’s South Asian community has set a benchmark for many to follow,” she said. She added that the finalists showed that nurses were not only delivering healthcare but also helping shape how healthcare systems evolve.
The other nine finalists came from Sweden, Saudi Arabia, India, Colombia, Namibia, Nigeria and Papua New Guinea. The finalists were selected through a process involving Ernst & Young LLP, a Screening Jury and a Grand Jury, based on professional achievements, leadership, innovation, impact and contribution to nursing.
The Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award was launched in 2021 to recognise nurses and their contributions to healthcare and communities worldwide.
