Dr. Charles Drew Relationship to Scholarship

Dr. Charles Drew Relationship to Scholarship

Charles Drew was born in Washington D.C on June 3? 1904. Charles graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High school. 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. (McMurry? 1993)

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 the public aware that blood banks do not need to be segregated by race. (Wynes? 1988)

Charles established an effective organization for collecting and preserving blood plasma for the U.S Army and Navy. He practiced? medicine and? taught surgery throughout his career. He received? many honors and awards. Charles resigned his directorship to protest the military's decision to maintain racially segregated blood banks.

Charles Drew will always be known as an African American surgeon? a pioneer in the development of blood banks. He showed that blood plasma lasts longer than the whole blood and helped established blood banks to serve the allies in Europe during World War II. He achieved his goals and made ...