Naomi Oyoe Ohene Oti, Ghanaian Oncology Nurse Specialist wins $250,000 Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award for 2025.

Attached below is a video showing the moment Naomi was presented with the award and her reaction.

The Oncology Nurse Specialist at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Naomi Oyoe Ohene Oti, was selected among the top 10 finalists for the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2025, which comes with a $250,000 cash prize.

She was chosen from over 100,000 nominations submitted by 199 countries.

Award

The award recognises exceptional nurses who have demonstrated exemplary commitment and leadership in advancing health care.

Her selection, along with Kenya’s Khadija Mohamed Juma, marks a significant moment for African healthcare excellence on the global stage.

She was presented with the award at a grand ceremony in Dubai on Monday, May 26, 2025.

Mrs Oti, who also serves as Head of Nursing at Ghana’s National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre, is being recognised for her transformative impact on cancer care across Africa.

Career

With over a 23-year career, Mrs Oti has pioneered specialist oncology training in Ghana, mentored over 60 oncology nurse specialists and 10 breast care nurses, and helped develop the country’s first postgraduate oncology nursing curriculum in 2015.

Her work extends beyond Ghana’s borders. She is a member of the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) and a co-investigator on the Global Bridges Oncology Grant.

She also serves as global faculty for the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Multidisciplinary Cancer Management Courses.

Her efforts have earned her numerous accolades, including the Ministry of Health’s Excellence Award and the Dr Dorcia Kisseh International Award.

Previous award winners

To recognise the phenomenal contribution of nurses to humanity and bring key stakeholders together, Aster DM Healthcare conducted the first-ever Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award ceremony on May 12, 2022, at the International Nurses Day at the Atlantis, Dubai, where Anna Qabale Duba from Kenya emerged victorious from among 24,000 nurses.

The second edition of the award took place at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London on May 12, 2023, with the UK’s leading nurse for monogenic diabetes, Margaret Helen Shepherd, winning the grand prize of $250,000.

In 2024, the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award was held in the Silicon Valley of India, and Maria Victoria Juan from the Philippines, a Consultant at the Philippines Army Health Services and Colonel, Reserve Force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, won the $250,000 cash prize.

2025 Finalists

The 2025 finalists were Catherine Maree Holliday, Switzerland; Edith Namba, Papua New Guinea; Fitz Gerald Dalina Camacho, UAE; Dr Jed Ray Gengoba Montayre, Hong Kong SAR; Dr Jose Arnold Tariga, USA; Khadija Mohamed Juma, Kenya; Maheswari Jaganathan, Malaysia; Naomi Oyoe Ohene Oti, Ghana; Dr Sukhpal Kaur, India; and Vibhaben Gunvantbhai Salaliya, India.