UK Nurse Dr Agimol Pradeep Claim $250,000 Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2026

Dr Agimol Pradeep, a senior transplant co-ordinator at King’s College Hospital and honorary senior lecturer at the University of Salford near Manchester, England, has been awarded a $250,000 prize after winning the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2026 at a ceremony in Kochi, India.

Dr Pradeep co-founded the Upahaar initiative to address donor shortages for South Asian patients, successfully registering more than 10,000 stem-cell donors since the project's inception. She noted that ethnically matched donor shortages cause minority patients to wait longer for life-saving transplants and highlighted systemic barriers preventing skilled nurses from returning to the profession.

The $250,000 monetary prize will be divided to support the goals of Upahaar and to invest in nursing education and empowerment. Half of the funds will expand organ and stem-cell donation efforts in communities and countries most in need.

Dr Azad Moopen, founder chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, praised Dr Pradeep's achievement as a reflection of the expertise, courage, compassion, and commitment defining exceptional nursing. Alisha Moopen, managing director and group chief executive of Aster DM Healthcare, emphasized the award's role in celebrating nursing excellence since 2021.

The 2026 award featured 10 finalists from around the world. The previous year's award was won by Naomi Oyoe Ohene Oti from Ghana and presented by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak in Dubai.