Featured Professional: Dr. Charles Drew, Father of the Blood Bank

When you donate or receive blood today, you are benefiting from the work of Dr. Charles Drew — a Black surgeon and researcher whose innovations have saved countless lives.

A Scholar and an Athlete

Charles Richard Drew was born in Washington, D.C., in 1904. A standout student and athlete at Dunbar High School, he earned an athletic scholarship to Amherst College before turning his focus to medicine.

Pioneering the Blood Bank

At Columbia University, Drew became the first African American to earn a Doctor of Science in surgery. His groundbreaking thesis, “Banked Blood,” showed that blood plasma could be stored far longer than whole blood. That discovery powered the “Blood for Britain” project during World War II and led to his appointment as the first director of the American Red Cross Blood Bank. He even helped pioneer the bloodmobile — earning him the title “father of the blood bank.”

Standing on Principle

When the Red Cross insisted on segregating blood by race — a practice it admitted had no scientific basis — Drew resigned in protest. He returned to Howard University and Freedmen’s Hospital, where he trained a generation of Black surgeons. Between 1941 and 1950, more than half of the Black surgeons in the United States studied under him.

A Lasting Legacy

Dr. Drew died in 1950 at just 45 years old. His scientific contributions remain woven into modern medicine — a reminder of the impact Black professionals have made, and continue to make, in every field.

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