Ghanaian nurse Naomi Ohene Oti wins Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2025

UAE—Nurse Naomi Oyoe Ohene Oti from Ghana has been named the winner of the prestigious Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2025.

She was selected from a remarkable pool of over 100,000 applicants representing 199 countries, underscoring the global scale and competitiveness of the award.

Naomi emerged victorious among other outstanding finalists, including Catherine Maree Holliday from Switzerland, Edith Namba from Papua New Guinea, Fitz Gerald Dalina Camacho from the UAE, Dr. Jed Ray Gengoba Montayre from Hong Kong SAR, Dr. Jose Arnold Tariga from the USA, Maheswari Jaganathan from Malaysia, Khadija Mohamed Juma from Kenya, Dr. Sukhpal Kaur and Vibhaben Gunvantbhai Salaliya from India.

An Oncology Nurse Specialist and Head of Nursing at the National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana, Naomi was honored with a grand prize of US$250,000 at a distinguished ceremony held in Dubai, UAE.

The award celebrates nurses who have made exceptional contributions to healthcare through patient care, leadership, education, community service, or innovation.

The Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award was launched in 2021 by Aster DM Healthcare to recognize the invaluable role of nurses worldwide.

This year’s award ceremony was graced by His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, UAE, alongside Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, and Alisha Moopen, Managing Director and Group CEO of Aster DM Healthcare.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), also shared a special message applauding Aster’s efforts in highlighting the critical contributions of nurses globally.

Upon receiving the award, Nurse Naomi Ohene Oti reflected on her two decades of experience witnessing inequities in cancer care.

She expressed her commitment to closing these gaps through training, outreach, and systemic improvements.

She emphasized that the award will amplify her impact by enabling the scaling of training programs, building faculty capacity, and inspiring the next generation of oncology nurses across Africa.

Dr. Azad Moopen praised Naomi for redefining nursing beyond caregiving to include innovation, leadership, and transformative change.

He highlighted how her work uplifts patients and strengthens the entire healthcare ecosystem, setting a gold standard for others to follow.

Similarly, Alisha Moopen described Naomi’s story as a powerful reminder of the quiet heroism nurses demonstrate daily in hospitals, clinics, and communities worldwide.

She expressed pride in shining a global spotlight on Naomi’s work and honoring the millions of nurses who sustain healthcare systems and humanity’s well-being.

The award’s rigorous selection process is overseen by an independent jury and supported by Ernst & Young LLP.

The top 10 finalists are chosen by a global panel of healthcare experts, with the winner announced annually in May to coincide with International Nurses Day.

Since its inception, the award has grown in prominence, celebrating extraordinary stories of resilience, innovation, and care from nurses around the world.

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