Dr. Charles Richard Drew (1904–1950) was the American surgeon known as the "father of the blood bank." His research proved that blood plasma could be preserved far longer than whole blood, making large-scale blood banking possible — and saving countless lives.

As medical director of the WWII "Blood for Britain" project, Drew set the safety standards that sent thousands of liters of plasma across the Atlantic. He became the first director of the American Red Cross blood bank, then resigned in protest of the policy of segregating blood by race — a practice with no scientific basis.

A surgeon and professor at Howard University, Drew trained a generation of Black physicians before his death in 1950 at just 45. His work lives on in every blood bank today.