Dr. Charles Drew - Pioneer of Blood Banking

Medical Researcher

Born: June 3, 1904, Washington D.C., U.S.A.
Died: April 1, 1950, Burlington, North Carolina, U.S.A.

Charles Drew, a surgeon and medical researcher, developed large-scale solutions for storing blood.

Before he was the “father of blood banking,” Charles Drew was great at sports. Washington D.C.’s Evening Star called him “one of the greatest high school athletes in this country.” He earned a football scholarship to Amherst College, where he was one of 13 Black students in a school of 600 people. During college, Drew found a passion for biology and was hospitalized for a sports injury. Earlier, he had lived through a pandemic that took the life of his sister. These experiences in healthcare led him to discover his dream: studying medicine.

There were barriers to overcome. Drew didn’t have great grades. Plus, when he graduated in 1926, he couldn’t afford medical school. He saved money working as a biology instructor and coach at a college. After two years, he was able to attend McGill University College of Medicine in Montreal. In 1933, he graduated 2nd in a class of 137 students.

Charles Drew wanted to be a surgical resident in the U.S., but opportunities were limited. At the time, major American medical centers didn’t accept many Black residents. So, Drew took another path toward his goal. He joined the faculty of the Howard University College of Medicine. There, he started as an instructor and eventually became a surgical resident. In 1938, he received a fellowship to train in New York City and study at Columbia University. In 1940, Charles Drew became the first African American to earn a medical doctorate from Columbia. His dissertation, titled “Banked Blood”, focused on the storage of blood and plasma.

By 1941, World War II had resulted in a shortage of blood for British military and civilians. Drew’s expertise made him the perfect person for an important job: directing Blood for Britain (BFB), a project created to send blood from U.S. donors to Great Britain. Under Drew’s leadership, BFB collected over 14,000 pints of plasma and shipped them safely across the Atlantic. After BFB, the American Red Cross hired Drew to direct a national blood donor program for the U.S. military. During this time, Drew worked on one of his great innovations: “bloodmobiles”. These refrigerated trucks could transport blood and serve as collection centers.

Drew eventually chose to end his work with the Red Cross because of their racist policies. At first, the military banned African Americans from donating blood to the program. Upon criticism from the NAACP and other groups, the Red Cross began accepting blood from Black donors but continued to segregate their donations from those of white donors. Charles Drew, a man of conviction, left his position.

He returned to Howard University to develop a top-tier surgical program for Black medical students. He trained residents while speaking out against the discrimination faced by Black physicians. He was appointed chair of the Department of Surgery and Chief of Surgery at Freedman’s Hospital. In 1943, he became the first African American to serve as examiner for the American Board of Surgery. The following year, he was awarded the NAACP Spingarn medal. From 1940-1950, over half of Black surgeons in the U.S. had studied under Charles Drew.

On April 1, 1950, Charles Drew fell asleep while driving two colleagues through North Carolina to a conference in Alabama. His colleagues survived the accident, but Drew lost his life. He died at only 46 years old.

Charles Drew’s mantra is well-remembered: “Excellence of performance will overcome any artificial barriers created by man.” Drew’s pursuit of excellence in medicine led to life-saving treatments and technologies. His advocacy created opportunities for Black surgeons, and his legacy continues to inspire people who combat inequities in modern healthcare.

References:
“Charles R. Drew.” Profiles in Science, U.S. National Library of Medicine, profiles.nlm.nih.gov/spotlight/bg/feature/biographical-overview.
“Charles Richard Drew.” American Chemical Society, www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/african-americans-in-sciences/charles-richard-drew.html.
Lloyd, Bria. “Black Blood Bank Inventor’s Daughter Says the Health Care Inequities Her Father Fought Still Exist Today.” Public Broadcasting Service, 18 Mar. 2021, www.pbs.org/newshour/science/black-blood-bank-inventors-daughter-says-the-health-care-inequities-her-father-fought-still-exist-today.
“Scientific Biographies: Charles Richard Drew.” Science History Institute Museum & Library,Charles Drew artworks