Thank You

Being that it's Black History Month, we knew it was only right to pay homage to African-American physicians who have paved the way for us and made significant impacts in the world of medicine.

First up is Dr. Charles Drew

Dr. Charles Drew (1904-1950) was born and raised in Washington, DC and received his MD degree at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and a Doctorate of Medical Science degree from Columbia University. During World War II, Drew was recruited by Great Britain to set up a blood storage and preservation program for military personnel. He designed and administered a program where large quantities of blood products were collected, tested for contamination, and transported. Once done with this project, Dr. Drew transferred to New York City where he worked for the Blood for Britain project. Here he ensured sufficient amounts of blood were collected for British soldiers and civilians. Out of Dr. Drew's work collecting and managing blood products, the American Red Cross Blood Bank was formed. Dr Drew resigned after a legislative ruling that the blood of African Americans would be segregated. Drew continued to work as a professor of surgery at Howard University until his untimely death as 1950.