A postgraduate student from the University of Salford who works as a transplant co-ordinator was voted Best Nurse 2013 by British Malayali.

Agimol Pradeep works at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the Renal Transplant Unit where she regularly witnesses the shortage of organs donated by people of South Asian descent. National figures show that South Asians wait three times longer than white people for a kidney transplant due to the difficulties in finding a successful match.

Agimol’s PhD project aims to tackle the problem by exploring the views of South Asian people to understand why they are reluctant to become donors.

She is working with community and religious leaders, GPs and intensive care units to implement strategies to increase South Asian organ donation, educating Asian people about the benefits of organ donation and of joining the donor register.

Agimol said: "I consider this award as an appreciation from the community, by the community and for the community in saving lives. I dedicate this award to all those special people who believed in me and helped pass on the important message of organ donation among the South Asian community.

“I acknowledge this award as an acceptance and understanding of the need for this study by the Asian community."

The study is funded by the British Renal Society and supported by the NHS Blood and Transfusion Service. Agimol is supervised by Professor Paula Ormandy at the University of Salford’s School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work and Mr Titus Augustine, Clinical Director of Transplantation at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Professor Ormandy said: “Agimol truly deserves this award. She is dedicated to improving the lives of patients and works tirelessly through her research to achieve this. The award is a clear recognition by the South Asian community that they consider her work to be important.”