Request for Applications (RFA)

The SDSU/UCSD Cancer Partnership solicits applications for pilot or full projects. Projects that align strongly with the goal of the Partnership are considered for funding.

The goal of the SDSU/UCSD Cancer Center Comprehensive Partnership is to reduce the burden of cancer among Hispanic/Latino communities in our catchment area (San Diego County) by developing outstanding programs in research, research education, and community outreach to understand and address causes for cancer health disparities in San Diego County, a region with a large and growing Hispanic/Latino population. The projects must have a cancer focus and may be in any research discipline - basic, clinical, prevention, and/or all areas of population science (epidemiology, behavioral science, etc.). Research may focus on populations and/or include partners in San Diego and/or Imperial Counties.

BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR OUR NEXT RFA ANNOUNCEMENT!!! Or send us your contact information if you want to receive the next announcement.


For information please contact Bilge Pakiz at bpakiz@health.ucsd.edu or Jill Nery at jnery@sdsu.edu for meeting information.


Partnership Projects Funded from 2015-2019


Project Number

Project Title

Full Project 1
Nanoshells Enabled Tumor Ablation and Immunotherapy
Natalie Gude,PhD, SDSU, Andrew Kummel, PhD, UCSD
09/2015 – 08/2018
Full Project 2
A Randomized Trial of Outreach and Inreach Strategies for Boosting CRC Screening in a Federally Qualified Health Center Primarily Serving Low Income Hispanic/Latinos
Sheila Castañeda, PhD, SDSU, Samir Gupta, MD, UCSD
09/2015 – 02/2019
Pilot Project
Comparing the Virome, Microbiome, and Metabolome of Tumor and Healthy Gut Tissues of Patients with Colorectal Cancer
John Mokili, PhD, SDSU, Sonia Ramamoorthy, MD, UCSD
09/2015 – 08/2017
Pilot Project Year 2
Patient Specific Characterization of Cancer Cell Metastatic Potential Using In Vitro and In Silico Models of Tumor Microenvironments
Parag Katira, PhD, SDSU, Shyni Varghese, PhD, UCSD
03/2017 – 02/2018
Pilot Project Year 2
Is It Race or Place? Disentangling Racial, Socioeconomic, and Geographic Disparities in the Regional Cancer Burden
Caroline Thompson, PhD, SDSU, James Murphy, MD, UCSD
03/2017 – 02/2018
Pilot Project Year 3
Proyecto Mariposa: Cancer Survivorship Care Planning for Rural Latina Breast Cancer Patients
Eunjeong Ko, PhD, SDSU, Veronica Cardenas, PhD, UCSD
09/2018 – 08/2020
Pilot Project Year 3
The Role of Metabolic Dehydrogenases in Driving Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Christal Sohl, PhD, SDSU, Christian Metallo, PhD, UCSD
09/2018 – 08/2020
Pilot Project Year 3
Follow-up to Abnormal Screening Test (FAST)
Sheila Castaneda, PhD, SDSU, Samir Gupta, MD, UCSD
09/2018 – 08/2020
Pre-Pilot Project Year 5
Formative Data Collection: A Bilingual mHeath Intervention to Promote HPV Vaccination among Diverse Sexual and Gender Minority Young Adults
Heather Corliss, PhD, SDSU, Laramie Smith, PhD, UCSD
09/2019 – 08/2020
Pre-Pilot Project Year 5
Formative Data Collection: Engineering Off-the- Shelf CAR T Cells for Immunotherapy against Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells
Carrie House, PhD, SDSU, Yingxiao Wang, PhD, UCSD
09/2019 – 08/2020