Abstract

The name Charles Drew is synonymous with blood transfusions, but his life encompassed many other areas of work. A native of Washington, DC, Drew attended Dunbar High School and Amherst College, and went to medical school at McGill University in Montreal. All during his schooling he was a highly regarded athlete (track and football). Drew spent 2 years in postdoctoral training in Montreal and 3 years in Washington, DC, followed by 2 years in New York City, working on a doctorate in medicine in blood banking. He was instrumental in the Blood for Britain program in 1940 and helped establish the future Red Cross blood bank in the United States. Finally, at Howard University, where he taught from 1941 to 1950, he trained a generation of black surgeons. He died, at age 45, of injuries received in a car accident in 1950 in North Carolina. Controversy surrounding his death, involving numerous erroneous claims, has served unfortunately to detract from the significance of his achievements.