Charles Drew
Charles Richard Drew was a gifted athlete and scholar who graduated from Amherst College and McGill University Medical School. His doctoral research at Columbia University on blood storage and processing techniques revolutionized medicine.
Drew developed methods to separate and store blood plasma, which could be preserved far longer than whole blood. During World War II, he directed the Blood for Britain project and then the American Red Cross Blood Bank program, establishing the model for blood banks worldwide.
Tragically and ironically, Drew resigned from the Red Cross in protest when they began segregating blood donations by race — a practice he called scientifically baseless. He returned to Howard University as head of surgery and died in a car accident in 1950 at age 45, but his work continues to save lives every day.
"Excellence of performance will transcend artificial barriers created by man."— Charles Drew
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