The relatively young scientific field of health services research, whose practitioners are still struggling to establish legitimacy within the vast domain of health care, owes much to Michael Pozen. Indeed, Michael must be counted as one of the founders of this new speciality in that his brief but incredibly productive career began as the field of health services research took form and emerged as a distinct career specialty. His very significant contributions to health care can be assessed from two perspectives.

The most visible perspective upon Michael Pozen's professional work can be obtained from a review of his research as reported in his published articles and presented papers. Michael clearly established himself as a creative and resourceful scholar and researcher who had a particular interest in improving the design and delivery of emergency medical services as well as the clinical aspects of emergency medical care.