A Keralam-born nurse working in the UK has won one of the world’s major nursing awards, earning global recognition for her work in organ transplantation, stem-cell donation and healthcare access.
Ajimol Pradeep, a native of Kottayam, has been named the winner of the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2026. She was selected from more than 1,34,000 registrations submitted by nurses across 214 countries and economies.
The award carries a cash prize of $2,50,000, worth more than ₹2.3 crore at current exchange rates.
Ajimol, a senior transplant coordinator at King’s College Hospital in London and an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Salford, received the award at a ceremony held at Grand Hyatt Kochi.
The award was presented by Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan, along with Aster DM Healthcare founder and executive chairman Dr Azad Moopen; executive director Alisha Moopen; director T J Wilson and managing director and group CEO Varun Khanna.
Ajimol’s work has focused on improving access to transplantation and addressing healthcare inequalities, particularly among South Asian communities in the UK.
One of her key initiatives is Upahaar, which she co-founded after identifying the disproportionate impact of donor shortages on South Asian patients waiting for transplants.
The initiative has helped register more than 10,000 stem-cell donors and aims to expand access to organ and stem-cell donation among communities that remain under-represented in donor programmes.
Her contribution to nursing and healthcare has also been recognised with the British Empire Medal.
Ajimol plans to use the award to expand her work in organ and stem-cell donation, nursing education and professional development.
About half of the prize money will go towards Upahaar and its programmes supporting patients with organ failure and blood cancers.
She also plans to invest in nursing education and training and help nurses develop leadership skills and become advocates for change in healthcare.
Her work has extended beyond direct patient care. She has also contributed to efforts that helped internationally trained nurses re-enter the UK workforce, addressing nursing shortages.
The Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award was launched in 2021 to recognise nurses whose work is creating meaningful change in healthcare and communities.
This year’s 10 finalists were selected after an extensive process involving Ernst & Young LLP, a screening jury and a grand jury. The selection considered professional achievements, leadership, innovation, impact and contributions to nursing.
The other nine finalists came from Sweden, Saudi Arabia, India, Colombia, Namibia, Nigeria and Papua New Guinea.
Dr Azad Moopen said the scale of this year’s participation reflected the global importance of the nursing profession.
Agimol’s achievement, he said, highlighted the expertise, courage, compassion and commitment that the award seeks to recognise.
Ajimol’s achievement puts the spotlight on the growing global contribution of Indian and particularly Keralam nurses to healthcare systems around the world.
Her career also illustrates how nurses are increasingly moving beyond traditional bedside roles into healthcare leadership, education, policy and community-level initiatives.
For Ajimol, the award is not merely a personal recognition. She intends to use the platform and prize money to widen access to transplantation and stem-cell donation while encouraging nurses to play a greater role in shaping healthcare systems.
