Dr charles drew biography

American surgeon and medical researcher (1904–1950)

This article is about the medical researcher. For other people, see Charles Drew (disambiguation).

Charles Richard Drew (June 3, 1904 – April 1, 1950) was an American surgeon and medical researcher.

He researched in the field of blood transfusions, developing improved techniques for blood storage, and applied his expert knowledge to developing large-scale blood banks early in World War II. This allowed medics to save thousands of Allied forces' lives during the war.^[1] As the most prominent African American in the field, Drew protested against the practice of racial segregation in the donation of blood, as it lacked scientific foundation, and resigned his position with the American Red Cross, which maintained the policy until 1950.^[2]

Early life and education

Drew was born in 1904 into an African-American middle-class family in Washington, D.C.^[3] His father, Richard, was a