High risk human papillomaviruses (hrHPV) are responsible for over 0.5 million cases of cervical cancer and 70,000 anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers annually. Invasive lesions represent the end stage of a minority of persistent infections that cause progressive dysplasia over many years. Licensed preventive vaccines do not prevent disease in women with pre-existing hrHPV infection. I will discuss progress towards development of therapeutic vaccines that harness cell-mediated immune responses to eliminate pre-invasive lesions and persistent infections.