Born in Washington, D.C., Charles Drew received a B.A. from Amherst College in 1926 and M.D. and C.M. degrees from McGill University in 1933. He was appointed an instructor of pathology at Howard University in 1936 and served a residency at Freedman’s Hospital. From 1937 to 1938 Drew was an instructor in surgery and an assistant surgeon. He then worked at Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. He received his Med.D.Sc. from Columbia University in 1940, and in 1941 he became the director of the American Red Cross Blood Bank and assistant to the director of the National Research Council. He resigned from the Red Cross in protest against its policy of segregating blood according to the donor's race. He then returned to Howard as a professor and as head of the Department of Surgery. He held additional posts at Freedman’s Hospital, including chief surgeon, chief of staff, and medical director. He is widely known for his research on the development of blood plasma.

Source:
Logan, Rayford W. Dictionary of American Negro Biography. 1 st ed. New York : W.W. Norton & Company, 1982. pgs. 190-192.