Media
Overview
Barry R. Davis, MD, PhD is a physician-scientist, clinical trialist, and author whose work helped shape modern cardiovascular prevention. He served as Principal Investigator of ALLHAT and held major leadership roles in SHEP and other landmark hypertension trials that influenced treatment guidelines in the United States and internationally.
He is the author of The Preventioneers: Diseases, Disasters, and the Discoveries That Changed Our World (Johns Hopkins University Press, May 5, 2026), a narrative history of how individuals recognized danger early, why institutions delayed action, and what it takes to prevent avoidable disease and disaster.
Dr. Davis offers evidence-based insight on prevention, public health leadership, and the recurring pattern by which societies fail to act until the human and social costs become far greater.
Featured Media
Television
KTVU FOX 2 — San Francisco Bay Area
Meta and YouTube verdict
March 30, 2026
Television commentary on the legal and prevention implications of the social media verdict.
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KTAL News — Shreveport
Is social media addiction real?
April 15, 2026
Television interview drawing the parallel between tobacco-era manufactured doubt and the addictive design of social media platforms.
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KFOR NBC Oklahoma City
Dr. Barry Davis explores social media addiction in new book
April 2, 2026
Television interview on social media addiction, prevention, and lessons from The Preventioneers.
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ABC10 — Sacramento
Experts say ruling confirms long-standing warnings about addictive platform design
April 1, 2026
Television commentary on addictive platform design and the prevention lessons from the Meta and YouTube verdict.
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Radio and Podcasts
Houston Matters with Craig Cohen — Houston Public Media
May 5, 2026 — launch day
Conversation on The Preventioneers and the prevention framework, on Houston Public Media’s flagship news show.
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WOSU-NPR — Columbus, Ohio
May 6, 2026
NPR conversation on prevention and the historical figures profiled in The Preventioneers.
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Health Care Rounds with John Marchica
Why Health Care Treats Instead of Prevents
May 1, 2026
A long-form conversation on the gap between prevention research and health system implementation, on the podcast for health care leaders.
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Public Health Ideas with Sandro Galea — WashU School of Public Health
April 16, 2026
A conversation with WashU Dean Sandro Galea on The Preventioneers, the four-gap framework, and the individuals who shaped prevention as a public good.
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KBOO Free Culture Radio with Doug McVay
An Ounce of Prevention
April 15, 2026
Radio conversation on tobacco regulation, social media, and The Preventioneers.
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NightSide with Dan Rea — WBZ NewsRadio
April 3, 2026
Conversation on prevention, social media, and the challenge of acting before harm becomes unavoidable.
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WATD Radio — The South Shore’s Morning News
April 25, 2026
Radio conversation on prevention, public health, and The Preventioneers.
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Healthcare Leadership Excellence with Karl Pister
April 2026
Long-form conversation on prevention leadership and the four-gap framework.
Link forthcoming
HuMed with David Spiro
April 2026
Conversation on prevention, hypertension trials, and the historical figures profiled in The Preventioneers.
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Digital Health Talks with Megan Antonelli
April 2026
Conversation on prevention, technology, and the implementation gap.
Link forthcoming
Print and Digital Interviews
Healthcare Dive — Delilah Alvarado
Spring 2026
Interview on the measles outbreak, the cost of prevention versus the cost of cleanup, and the lessons for U.S. public health policy.
Link forthcoming
The Washington Times
CDC finds obesity at new high among youth
February 25, 2026
Commentary on youth obesity, prevention, and public health trends.
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Selected written commentary has appeared in outlets including Las Vegas Sun, DC Journal, Boston Herald, Business Day, and others. See the Writing page for essays and opinion pieces.
Interview Topics
Dr. Davis can speak to:
• Why societies fail to act on early warning signs
• Why the gap between evidence and policy persists
• What history teaches about preventing the next pandemic
• Vaccine confidence, public trust, and recurring outbreaks
• Climate-related risk as a slow-moving public health crisis
• Hypertension as a model for acting before complications arise
• Leadership under uncertainty
• Turning scientific evidence into real-world action
• What prevention pioneers can teach today’s leaders
Short Bio
Barry R. Davis, MD, PhD is a physician-scientist and clinical trialist whose work helped shape modern cardiovascular prevention. He held leadership roles in major hypertension trials including ALLHAT and SHEP and is the author of The Preventioneers, a narrative history exploring why societies delay action on early warning signs and what it takes to prevent crisis.
Dr. Davis provides evidence-based insight on prevention, public health leadership, and the persistent gap between knowledge and action.
Barry R. Davis, MD, PhD is Professor Emeritus of Biostatistics and Data Science at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, where he previously served as Chair of the Department and Director of the Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials. He also held the Guy S. Parcel Chair in Public Health.
Dr. Davis served as Principal Investigator of ALLHAT, one of the largest hypertension trials ever conducted, and held major leadership roles in SHEP, the landmark study that demonstrated the benefits of treating systolic hypertension in older adults. He also contributed to the Hypertension Detection and Follow-up Program, helped support the early development of SPRINT, and later served on its Data and Safety Monitoring Committee.
In The Preventioneers, he draws on history, science, and public health to examine how individuals across disciplines recognized danger early, why institutions often resisted acting on that evidence, and what prevention-minded leadership looks like in practice.
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- Book summary and press materials
- Excerpt and permissions information upon request
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