UK nurse wins award for expanding organ donation access
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Dr Agimol Pradeep, a Senior Transplant Coordinator at King's College Hospital in the UK, received the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2026 at a ceremony in Kochi, India.
The award recognizes her work increasing organ and stem cell donation, particularly among South Asian communities. Dr. Pradeep noticed that patients from Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi backgrounds often died waiting for transplants due to a lack of ethnically matched donors.
She researched cultural and religious barriers to donation and then co-founded Upahaar, a volunteer initiative that has registered over 10,000 donors. Her work also led to changes in UK regulations, allowing internationally trained nurses to rejoin the workforce and address staff shortages. Originally from Kottayam, India, Dr. Pradeep decided to pursue nursing because she believed she could make a significant difference in people’s lives.
She intends to use half of her $250,000 prize to further develop Upahaar and the other half to support nursing education, empowering other nurses to advocate for patients and drive change.
