A tale of two pandemics: Neil Bertelsen, a HIV patient advocate reflects on the lessons learned from the HIV pandemic and asks why we are having to relearn some of these lessons today. What could be the role of HTA in partnering with the patient community to strengthen systems for the future? Neil Bertelsen has spent the last 25 years bringing the patient voice into the heart of health care. Originally a scientist, Neil became a patient advocate in the field of HIV in the 1990s with a mission to bridge the gap between the science and the patient. Neil was the editor of ‘Positive Times’, the UK’s first national magazine for people with HIV and served 6 years on the board of trustees of Terrence Higgins Trust, Europe’s largest HIV advocacy group. Neil is the past Chair of HTAi’s Patient and Citizen Involvement Interest Group and board member of Patient Focused Medicines Development. Neil works directly with the patient community, the industry, and HTA bodies to improve patient engagement in healthcare decisions. He has worked within the pharmaceutical industry to bring the patient perspectives into early research. As a science documentary maker, Neil was part of the team awarded a BAFTA for best factual series (Horizon, BBC).