Dr. Charles R. Drew.

Essay by Phoenix1High School, 10th gradeA, April 2003

download word file, 2 pages 3.0

Frederick Douglass AcademyElias Santiago

Period 7 February 17, 2003

Math assignment

Dr. Charles R. Drew

Charles Drew was born in Washington D.C on June 3, 1904. Charles graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar Highschool. Then he became a star athlete in college and won many athletic honors and was the all-American halfback and captain of his Amherst College football team. After graduating college he spent two years as a biology and chemistry instructor and director of athletics at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Charles became a waiter to pay his way at McGill. He was a track star and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) national honor society for medical students.

In 1928 Charles enrolled at McGill University in Montreal, Canada where he studied medicine and this is where he witnessed a man's life being saved by a blood transfusion. In 1933 he earned his Master of Surgery and Doctor of Medicine degrees, he also graduated 2nd in his class of 137 students.

Charles served an internship at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. After that Charles returned home for a surgery residency at Howard's University's Freedman's Hospital. A Rockefeller Foundation fellowship took him to Columbia University in 1938. There he became the first African American to receive a doctorate in medical science of Physicians and Surgeons in 1940.

Blood was needed urgently with the outbreak of World War II. He organized the blood for Britain project in 1940, which he collected, processed, and transported nearly 15,000 plasma units within five months. Charles scientific research helped to revolutionize transfusion methods so that plasma could be given to wounded soldiers on the battlefield, a medical breakthrough that saved countless lives. In 1941 Charles became the first director of the American cross Blood Bank, after that he tried to make...