American surgeon known as the "Father of the blood bank" for his role in organizing and administering large scale blood bank during World War II
Drew dedicated much of his time to raising medical education standards and training for black physicians and surgeons at Howard University
Prior to attending med school, Drew taught biology and chemistry at Morgan College in Baltimore, and as athletic director, transformed their football and basketball teams into champions
Drew was accepted into McGill University Faculty of Medicine in Montreal Quebec and received an MD and Master of Surgery in 1933.
He began his work at Howard University in 1935, where he served in various leadership roles throughout his career.
Began study and work at Columbia University in 1938, culminating in a Doctorate in Medical science for his blood banking research
In 1941, Drew was appointed Assistant Director of the first American Red Cross Blood Bank
Received NAACP's Spingarn Medal for work on blood plasma projects in 1944
