Nurse wins award for boosting organ donation among South Asians in UK
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Agimol Pradeep, an Indian-origin nurse in the United Kingdom, won the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2026 and a $250,000 prize for her work improving organ donation and transplantation rates within the South Asian community.
Pradeep co-founded the Upahaar initiative after noticing South Asian patients faced longer waits for matching organ donors. Upahaar has registered over 10,000 stem cell donors and works to raise awareness about organ donation within the community.
Pradeep works as a Senior Transplant Coordinator at King’s College Hospital in London and also lectures at the University of Salford. She intends to use half of her prize money to fund Upahaar’s expansion, hoping to extend organ and stem-cell donation awareness to other communities and countries. The award ceremony, held in Kochi, India, also addressed the global nursing shortage. Kerala Chief Minister V.D.
Satheesan presented the award and noted the World Health Organization estimates a current shortfall of 6 million nurses worldwide. Both Satheesan and Pradeep emphasized the need to invest in nursing education and training to strengthen the healthcare workforce. The Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award received over 134,000 registrations from nurses in 214 countries before selecting ten finalists.
