He was the eldest amongst his siblings and grew up in DC’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood. It was here when he met Dr John Beattie with whom he examined issues and problems pertaining to blood transfusions. The focus on plasma for the Blood for Britain program was rooted in plasma’s many advantages over whole blood. He found out that plasma could be stored longer than regular blood. He received the Spingarn Medal of the NAACP (1943) and honorary doctor of science degrees from Virginia State College (1945) and Amherst College (1947). When plasma is separated from whole blood it can be banked for a longer period of time. The racial segregation of the pre-Civil Rights era constrained Drew's options for medical training. Rightly referred to as the ‘Father of the blood bank’, this outstanding personality played a major role in organizing, conceiving and directing the first blood banking program in the history of America. He was called back to New York in September 1940 to direct the Blood for Britain project. He travelled to New York to lead United States’ “Blood for Britain” project that was meant to aid civilians and British soldiers by providing U.S. blood to the United Kingdom. Chemical Relations: William and Lawrence Knox, African American Chemists, A 1941 letter from Charles Drew to the American Red Cross (from the National Archives), Profiles in Science, National Library of Medicine: The Charles R. Drew Papers, Charles Richard Drew: “Father of the Blood Bank” (American Chemical Society). Lastly, being that I want to help people, he showed anything is possible. Scurlock Studio Records, ca. Charles Drew in the lab at Howard University, 1942. His daughter Charlene Drew Jarvis served as the President of Southeastern University from 1996-2009. Drew's radiant geniality and warm sense of humor endeared him to patients.

Blood has two main ingredients—red blood cells, which carry vital oxygen throughout the body, and plasma, which is mostly water with proteins and electrolytes. Each sample was tested before it was shipped. Charles R. Drew was born in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 1904, the eldest of five children. Along with the latter, Drew earned both Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees. A health center in Brooklyn and the Harlem Hospital Center blood bank in New York City are named for him.
. He graduated at Columbia University and gained his degree in Doctor of Medical Science thus becoming the very first African-American to accomplish this. 1905–1994, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. The information in this biography was last updated December 4, 2017. In October 1941 Drew returned to Howard as head of the department of surgery and was made an examiner for the American Board of Surgery.

. He also became a part of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Blood collection process was centralized by him where donors could donate blood. This rumor spread like fire as in those days it was quite common to refuse treatment to blacks as the hospitals didn’t possess enough “Negro beds”.

Education. Dr. Charles Drew wasn’t born in North Carolina, and he never lived here.

After graduating from Amherst in 1926 with his Bachelor’s degree, Drew was unable to go back to medical school because of financial issues. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/charles-r-drew-475.php Charles Richard Drew was a famous American physician, surgeon and medical researcher. He also had several siblings. Washington was still racially segregated during that era, but its large African American community included many prosperous and well-educated families, and their public schools were often excellent. While doing his residency at Montreal Hospital (1933–1935), Drew became interested in the science and medicine of blood transfusions.

And so it should be the aim of every student in science to knock down at least one or two bricks of that wall by virtue of his own accomplishment. He was in demand as a speaker, and he served on numerous boards with a wide spectrum of interests, including the 12th Street Branch of the YMCA in Washington. https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/charles-richard-drew The grandson of slaves, Julian overcame racial barriers to achieve scientific, business, and personal success. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/aframsurgeons/pioneers.html. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/charles-r-drew-475.php, The Hottest Male Celebrities With The Best Abs, Famous Role Models You Would Like To Meet. Though bright, he was not an outstanding student; instead, he devoted much of his effort to athletics, where he excelled. His innovations revolutionized the medical profession and inspired many medical aspirants to follow his path. Charles was one of those rare individuals who seemed to excel at everything he did and on every level and would go on to become of pioneer in the field of medicine. At Howard, Drew firmly established a progressive modern surgery program. Not long after he was the first African-American to be admitted into the American Board of Surgeons. In June 1940, Drew received his doctorate in medical science from Columbia, becoming the first African American to earn the degree there. After a couple of more months they came to the conclusion that blood could not me stored but plasma could. He did, however, develop an interest in the medical sciences through his biology courses with Otto Glaser.

The policy was soon modified to accept blood donations from blacks, but required that these be segregated. In August, Presbyterian and five other New York hospitals had begun a collaborative effort to collect and ship plasma (the fluid, non-cellular portion of blood) to Britain.

Drew published 19 papers, the first 13 dealing with blood therapy. Chief of staff of Freedmen's Hospital from 1944 to 1946, he was appointed medical director of the hospital for 1946-1947. Drew's tragic death generated a persistent myth that he died because he was denied admission to the white hospital, or was denied a transfusion, but such stories have been debunked repeatedly. Although others had developed the basic methods for plasma use, Drew, as medical director, instituted uniform procedures and standards for collecting blood and processing blood plasma at the participating hospitals. Charles R. Drew was born in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 1904, the eldest of five children. He won a variety of medals for swimming, and later even more in other sports such as: football, basketball, and other sports. Having decided upon a career in surgery, he went to Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1935. Charles Richard Drew was born on June 3, 1904 in Washington D.C in a middle class African-American family to Richard who was a carpet layer and Nora Burrell who was a teacher. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Amherst College (1926) and his doctor of medicine and master of surgery degrees from McGill University in Canada (1933). Birthplace : Washington, D.C. While studying he met John Scudder. ” After resigning from American Red Cross in 1941, Drew started back teaching at Howard University. She was a home economics professor at Spelman College. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/charles-r-drew-475.php He also served as captain of Company B in the Third Regiment of the High School Cadet Corps during his senior year. A U.S. relief program—Blood for Britain—was initiated to collect and ship plasma overseas. Drew graduated from Dunbar in 1922 and went to Amherst College in Massachusetts on an athletic scholarship. This barrier-breaking African American doctor and surgeon earned the title “father of the blood bank” for his lifesaving innovations in the use and preservation of blood plasma. A Flair for the Dramatic/Selfish Machines by Pierce the Veil. Charles and his younger siblings, Joseph, Elsie, and Nora, grew up in the largely middle-class and interracial neighborhood of Foggy Bottom (a third sister, Eva, was born after the family moved to Arlington, Virginia, in 1920.) He also was a national high hurdles champion.

Without his work in blood storage and plasma millions of people would not have survived WWII and a lot people would not be alive today. Our conference center is open for event rentals, our library is open by appointment only, and our museum remains closed to the public.