• Aster DM Healthcare’s ‘Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award’ is one of the world’s top awards in nursing with the highest prize money of USD 250,000 to be won by one nurse
• Over 52,000 registrations have been received from nurses from 202 countries; a 116% growth from the 1st edition of the award which had received 24,000 registrations
• Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2023 will be held at Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London, UK on 12th May, 2023

Aster DM Healthcare, one of the largest integrated healthcare providers in GCC and India, has announced six leading experts in healthcare and nursing as the Grand Jury for Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2023, to be held in London, UK. The Grand Jury comprises of Mr. Howard Catton – Chief Executive Officer, International Council of Nurses, Switzerland; Prof. Sheila Tlou – Co-Chairperson, Global HIV Prevention Coalition and Ex – Minister of Health & Member of Parliament – Govt. of Botswana; Prof. James Buchan – Adjunct Professor, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing; Dr. J Carolyn Gomes, Vice-Chair of the Strategy Committee – The Global Fund Board and Board Member of The Developing Country NGO Delegation to the GF Board; Dr. Peter Carter, an OBE awardee (Officer of the Order of the British Empire), an independent healthcare consultant and former CEO of the Royal College of Nursing; and Dr. Niti Pall -Senior Digital Advisor for AXA (EC), Board Chair of Harbr and Managing Director of Health4all advisory. Dr. Niti is a senior doctor with deep expertise in digital health innovation.

Speaking on this year’s entries, Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare said, “We are extremely excited to see the overwhelming response that the initiative has received from nurses across the world. With over 52,000 registrations from over 202 countries for the second edition of the Award, it will be a daunting task for the Jury to decide the winner this year. They have started the review process and shall present the top 10 finalists soon. Post this the 10 finalists will undergo a public voting process and further assessment by the Grand Jury. The winner of the Aster Guardians Global Nursing award who will receive the US$ 250,000 will be announced at the award function in London on 12th May 2023.”

Mr. Howard Catton, CEO of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a strong advocate for nurse leadership and is committed to ensuring that ICN and its network of National Nurses Associations work to put nurses at the centre of our health systems. Professor Sheila Tlou has played a key role in the development of national nursing and medical education programs throughout her career.  She is also a former Minister of Health of Botswana, former Professor of Nursing at the University of Botswana and Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Development in Primary Health Care for Anglophone Africa.

With an extensive experience as a policymaker, policy analyst and consultancy on health workforce and health systems, Professor James Buchan  is an Adjunct Professor at the WHO Collaborating Centre, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia and a Visiting Professor at the University of Edinburgh. He is also Editor in Chief of the Human Resources for Health Journal. Dr. J Carolyn Gomes, Vice-Chair of the Strategy Committee – The Global Fund Board and Board Member of The Developing Country NGO Delegation to the GF Board, has a distinguished record as a Human Rights advocate. A medical doctor since 1980, Dr. Carolyn has worked in public and private medicine in Trinidad and Jamaica until 2002 when she gave up practice to work full time on issues related to human rights.

An independent healthcare consultant and former CEO of the Royal College of Nursing, Dr. Peter Carter comes with a diverse experience. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, an honorary fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners, and an Ad Eundem of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. In 2011, he was awarded the inaugural Presidents medal of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. In 2006, he was awarded the OBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth for his service to the NHS. Since leaving the RCN, he has worked across the UK and internationally.  Dr. Niti Pall – Senior Digital Advisor for AXA (EC),Board Chair of Harbr and Managing Director of Health4all advisory. Dr. Pall is a visionary senior clinical leader, who has extensive prior experience in leading developmental roles and has a passion for the delivery of top quality primary care to disadvantaged communities. She has experience in scaling payer and provider models both in the UK, India and many other emerging markets. She continues to work as a clinician part-time in Birmingham, UK. She has worked in 44 countries.

Anna Qabale Duba, the recipient of the inaugural Aster Guardians Global Nursing Awards in 2022, said, “As nurses, we have the chance to heal our patients -hearts, minds, and bodies. It is truly a very rewarding experience to be able to help people who need assistance, and sometimes, these stories are worth sharing with the world. Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award is one such initiative which is bringing forth these stories and giving nurses like us a chance to share them on a global platform.”

Aster has appointed Ernst & Young LLP (EY) as ‘Process Advisors’ for this edition. EY will review the applications based on the defined eligibility criteria, moderate shortlisting process of the entries by an independent panel of experts and present a list of shortlisted finalists to the Grand Jury. The Grand Jury will review the shortlisted applications to select the final top 10 nurses. These finalists will then undergo a public voting process and Q&A interaction with the Grand Jury for the final winner to be determined.