Dr Lenine Liebenberg leads the Immunology Research Programme at CERI (Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation, Stellenbosch University, South Africa). She is an Associate Professor at Stellenbosch University's School for Data Science and Computational Biology, an honorary Associate Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and a Research Associate at the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa. Her research focuses on understanding host-pathogen interactions at tissue barriers to aid the design of prevention and control strategies for infection and disease. This HPV Awareness month, Dr Liebenberg shares insights from her decades of STI research, discussing immune and microbial environments in the context of HPV and HIV infection.