DR. CHARLES RICHARD DREW - FATHER OF THE BLOOD BANK

Dr. Charles R. Drew was a surgeon from Washington, DC. His pioneering research in the preservation of blood plasma saved thousands of lives during World War II. In addition, he developed standardized procedures of blood storage and preservation techniques used to create America’s first large-scale blood bank. 

While Drew was earning a doctorate at Columbia University, he was assigned to work with John Scutter to set up an experimental blood bank. Scutter considered his protégé to be a “brilliant pupil.” Together, their research efforts focused on identifying and controlling shock, blood chemistry, fluid balances, transfusions, and ways to preserve blood. Drew based his dissertation, entitled “Banked Blood:  A Study in Blood Preservation,” on this work. The thesis earned him a medical doctorate from Columbia University, making him the first African American to do so.

Among Drew’s innovations was the idea for “bloodmobiles” — refrigerated mobile blood donation trucks. The work he did solidified his reputation as an innovator and earned him the title “father of the blood bank.”

In addition to his blood bank work, Drew spent nearly a decade working on what he believed was his most significant work. His mission was to “train young African American surgeons who would meet the most rigorous standards in any surgical specialty” and “place them in strategic positions throughout the country where they could, in turn, nurture the tradition of excellence.”

For more information about Dr. Charles Drew, visit the following websites:

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/african-americans-in-sciences/charles-richard-drew.html

https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/spotlight/bg/feature/biographical