Proceedings of the 2023 Second Annual ASTCT-NMDP ACCESS Initiative Workshop

•The ASTCT-NMDP ACCESS Initiative continues to evolve as a grassroots advocacy collaborative in the HCT/CT ecosystem, focused on ameliorating access barriers and outcomes for patients in need.•The ACCESS Initiative is open for the participation of multiple stakeholders across the hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT)/cell therapy (CT) ecosystem, including medical caregivers, administrators, payers, industry, and government partners.•We can no longer expect others to do what we must: it is our personal responsibility to instigate positive change that improves access for and outcomes in all patients requiring life-saving cellular therapy. The proceedings from the Second Annual American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) ACCESS Initiative are reviewed to inform the hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and cellular therapy (CT) ecosystem about progress and direction of the collaborative. Highlights from the meeting, including updates on the progress of projects from the Awareness, Poverty and Racial Inequity Committees are presented. The ACCESS Initiative continues to evolve and will remain dependent upon the HCT/CT ecosystem's continued dedication to reduce barriers and improve outcome disparities for all patients in need of HCT/CT. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial