# San Diego State University Advancing Cancer Careers for ExceLlence (ACCEL)

> **NIH NIH R25** · SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $322,757

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
San Diego State University’s Advancing Cancer Careers for ExceLlence (ACCEL) Program, in partnership with
University of California San Diego (UCSD) Moores Cancer Center, will provide 70 SDSU postdoctoral fellows
and graduate students each year with a coordinated and innovative array of resources to support excellence,
inclusion and transformation of the cancer research science force. ACCEL will leverage existing infrastructure
and develop new programming to a) expand and strengthen the pipeline of underrepresented (UR) scholars
pursuing cancer research; and b) broaden SDSU’s capacity to support and advance UR pre- and postdoctoral
cancer research scholars.
Three distinct and complimentary aims have been developed to meet these larger objectives. Led by a
Training Champion (TC) team with diverse areas of expertise, the ACCEL program will a) implement mentoring
activities and community-building engagement that reduce feelings of isolation and increase sense of
belonging to increase doctoral student and postdoctoral scholar participation and retention in cancer research;
b) provide structured support services including skills development courses for doctoral students and
postdoctoral scholars to broaden advancement in cancer research and promote diversity in the scientific
workforce; and c) build tailored and sustainable linkages for SDSU students and scholars to existing support
and resources through the National Cancer Institute and other partners.
While ACCEL program development and implementation will benefit greatly from strong integration with
existing partners and programs including the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, SDSU-UCSD CREATE
Cancer Partnership, and the NCI Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) training navigation,
ACCEL will also introduce innovative methodologies to address isolation and build community and belonging in
tandem with skills building.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10784133
- **Project number:** 1R25CA285813-01
- **Recipient organization:** SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Rebecca Lewison
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $322,757
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-09-18 → 2028-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10784133

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10784133, San Diego State University Advancing Cancer Careers for ExceLlence (ACCEL) (1R25CA285813-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10784133. Licensed CC0.

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