Writing
Essays on Prevention, Leadership, and Acting Before Crisis
Prevention often succeeds quietly. Its impact is measured in harms that never occur and crises that never fully unfold.
Through ongoing essays and commentary, Barry R. Davis examines why societies delay action on early warning signs — and what enables earlier, more disciplined responses. His writing connects historical insight, clinical research, and contemporary public health challenges.
Selected Opinion and Commentary
Las Vegas Sun
Social media verdict exposes America’s prevention failure
April 6, 2026
A commentary connecting the Meta and YouTube verdict to the broader prevention gap.
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DC Journal
AI is following the old script of delayed prevention
April 15, 2026
An essay on artificial intelligence, early warnings, and the recurring pattern of delayed prevention.
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The Herald-Dispatch
AI follows the old script of delayed prevention
April 16, 2026
A syndicated commentary on AI and the prevention gap.
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Chronicle Online
AI is following the old script of delayed prevention
April 20, 2026
A commentary on AI, warnings, and the cost of waiting too long to act.
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Boston Herald
Davis: AI follows old script of delayed prevention
April 22, 2026
An opinion essay on AI and delayed prevention.
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Business Day
Britain’s smoke-free generation proposal exposes a decades-old prevention failure
April 30, 2026
An essay on tobacco regulation, delayed prevention, and the lessons of public health history.
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The Washington Times
CDC finds obesity at new high among youths
February 25, 2026
Commentary on youth obesity, prevention, and public health trends.
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The Epoch Times
Your scrolling habit could be raising your blood pressure
April 13, 2026
Commentary on social media, stress, blood pressure, and prevention.
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Featured Writing
Feature 1
Title: The Prevention Gap
Source: Substack—An Ounce of Prevention
Abstract: Why do societies so often fail to act on what they already know? This essay examines the distance between evidence and implementation, drawing on clinical trials, public health, and the recurring tendency to delay action until preventable harm has already occurred.
Feature 2
Title: On the Protection of Cities from Fire
Source: Substack—An Ounce of Prevention
Abstract: Inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s early writing on fire prevention, this essay connects eighteenth-century insight to modern urban fire risk. It argues that safety depends not on reassurance, but on preparation, oversight, and collective responsibility before disaster strikes.
Feature 3
Title: The Tooth Collector
Source: Substack—An Ounce of Prevention
Abstract: This essay tells the story of Dr. Herbert Needleman, whose research on lead exposure in children helped transform public health prevention. It also warns that funding cuts now threaten one of the nation’s major prevention successes.
The Prevention Post (LinkedIn)
Full essays are published first on LinkedIn through The Prevention Post, where Dr. Davis engages a professional audience in medicine, public health, and leadership.
These pieces examine emerging risks, new research, and real-time examples of the prevention gap at work.
An Ounce of Prevention
An Ounce of Prevention is my free newsletter offering ongoing essays on the history and science of prevention. Topics include vaccine-preventable disease, chronic illness and cardiovascular risk, climate-related health threats, institutional response under uncertainty, and leadership before crisis.
Subscribers receive thoughtful analysis grounded in evidence and history and early updates related to The Preventioneers.
Across disciplines, a familiar pattern persists: early signals appear, certainty is demanded, and response slows. Through regular writing, Dr. Davis continues to examine how that pattern unfolds and how it can be interrupted.