Bloodworks 101

Dr. Charles Drew - "More Than a Hollywood Ending" (S2 E21)

June 09, 2021 Juan Cotto Season 2 Episode 21
Bloodworks 101
Dr. Charles Drew - "More Than a Hollywood Ending" (S2 E21)
Show Notes

Dr. Charles Drew is known as the Father of Blood Banking.  He’s credited with saving thousands of lives during World War II after coming up with the concept of the blood bank but he resigned after a ruling that the blood of African Americans would be segregated. 

Drew died in an automobile accident in April of 1950. To this day, some believe the story that this pioneer in the blood banking industry was denied admittance to a local hospital after the accident because he was Black. But is it true? 

To answer that question and many others about Dr. Charles Drew, contributor Juan Cotto got a chance to talk to Drew’s daughter, Sylvia Drew Ivie, the Special Assistant to the President at Charles Drew University in Los Angeles. 

So on this episode of Bloodworks 101 we attempt to separate the man from the myth, and celebrate a true pioneer in blood science whose legacy endures today.