Today's Red Cross blood program is the legacy of Dr. Charles Drew, a hematologist, surgeon, educator and scientist whose pioneering work in blood collection, plasma processing and transfusion therapy laid the foundation for modern blood banking.

The distinguished scientist was a pioneer in the field of blood plasma preservation and storage. He received his medical degree from McGill University School of Medicine and continued his studies at Columbia University, where he wrote a thesis entitled "Banked Blood."

In l940, he was asked to help administer the Blood Transfusion Betterment Association of New York to aid thousands of civilians who were wounded in Britain during the German bombing raids.

The same year, he developed a system to produce plasma, separating it from blood matter. Between August 1940 and February l941, approximately 10,500 units of liquid plasma were shipped to London to support the Plasma for Britain Project.

In February 1941, Dr. Drew became the first medical director of the first American Red Cross Blood Bank in the United States, which produced dried plasma that could be preserved longer than the liquid version.

The pioneering medical research of Dr. Drew saved the lives of thousands of wounded Allied servicemen during the Second World War. He received the NAACP’s Springarn Medal for his work in the British and American blood plasma projects. Dr. Drew worked diligently under the constraints of a segregated society to help citizens of the world, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

Medical Update