Global nursing award for Salford alumna and honorary lecturer

Agimol was chosen from over 134,000 applicants around the world, and will now receive a $250,000 prize to help her undertake a project of her choosing. 

Agimol works as Senior Transplant Coordination at Kings College, London. She undertook her PhD at the University of Salford and now works with the institution as an Honorary Senior Lecturer, mentoring nurses and healthcare professionals in transplant care and ethical practice. She has also helped the university to develop its partnership work in India.

Her PhD focused on increasing organ donation in South Asian communities, after she found patients from the community were disproportionately dying while waiting for organ transplants due to a lack of ethnically matched donors. Agimol’s work produced comprehensive studies examining cultural, religious, and social barriers across Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi populations.

This research translated into real-world impact, contributing to awareness campaigns, influencing national conversations, and supporting the UK’s transition toward an “opt-out” organ donation system. 

Working directly with religious leaders, community groups, and families, Agimol helped to reshape perceptions around organ and stem cell donation. This grassroots approach led to the co-founding of Upahaar, a volunteer-driven initiative that has successfully registered over 10,000 stem cell donors, significantly improving transplant access and saving countless lives.

Agimol’s influence has earned her global recognition, including the British Empire Medal and a place on the Queen’s Honours list.

Equally impactful is her leadership in championing internationally educated nurses (IENs). Through a sustained advocacy effort, she has helped drive regulatory change in the UK, enabling over thousands of internationally trained nurses to regain their professional identity and re-enter the workforce, addressing both individual livelihoods, patient care, and global workforce shortages.

On receiving the award, Agimol said: “I feel surreal and humbled to represent my profession and the nurses around the globe. It's a blessing to use this global platform to promote organ and stem cell donation awarenesses and to save more lives.”