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However, he soon became frustrated with the military's request to segregate the blood donated by African Americans. Through this effort, he worked on developing a blood bank to be used for U.S. Perhaps his most well-known work was in 1941, when Drew spearheaded another blood bank effort, this time for the American Red Cross. Drew helped collect roughly 14,500 pints of plasma. Drew was selected to head up a special medical effort in support of World War II known as "Blood for Britain." Under this initiative, he organized the collection and processing of blood plasma from several New York hospitals and the shipments of these life-saving materials overseas to treat war causalities. Drew received his doctorate degree in 1940, becoming the first African-American to earn this degree from Columbia.Īfter graduating from Columbia, his blood bank expertise was highly sought. His research served as the basis of his doctorate thesis “Banked Blood".

Drew discovered that the plasma could be dried and then reconstituted when needed, making it possible to be stored or “banked” for longer periods of time. As plasma can be preserved much longer than whole blood, Dr. Drew developed a method for processing and preserving blood plasma (blood without cells). There, he continued his exploration of blood-related matters with John Scudder. In 1938, Drew received a Rockefeller Fellowship for doctorial studies at Columbia University and training at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. and became an instructor at Howard University’s Medical School and, in addition to teaching, completed a surgery residence at Freedmen’s Hospital, the major hospital for the African American community in Washington D.C., which upon its original founding served as the first hospital of its kind to aid in the medical treatment of former slaves. John Beattie, and they examined problems and issues regarding blood transfusions.ĭr. Drew completed his internship and residency at the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Montreal General Hospital. He graduated second in his class, earning both Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees. At McGill, Drew became a top student, won a prize in neuroanatomy, and became a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, a medical honor society. In 1928, he enrolled in medical school at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Without the financial means to pursue his dream of attending medical school, Drew became a biology instructor at Morgan State College, now Morgan State University, in Baltimore, Maryland, for two years. There, he distinguished himself on the track and football teams and graduated in 1926. congresswomen Eleanor Holmes Norton.įollowing high school graduation, Drew attended Amherst College on a sports scholarship. As a graduate, Drew later would become a notable member of Dunbar’s renowned graduates, who have included the first black member of a presidential cabinet, the first black graduate of the U.S. In 1922, Drew graduated from the Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, the academically elite first black high school in the nation. Drew grew up as a multi-sport athlete, winning several medals for swimming in his elementary years, and also excelling in football, basketball and other sports. Drew, a trailblazing African-American surgeon who made groundbreaking discoveries in the storage and processing of blood for transfusions and organized the first large-scale blood bank in the United States.īorn in Washington D.C., on June 3, 1904, Dr. Drew Charter School is named in honor of Dr.