Dr. Charles R. Drew, MD., Medical Pioneer.
Becoming the first black to receive a Dr. of Medical Science degree from Columbia U., Drew’s dissertation on “Banked Blood,” described how blood plasma could be preserved. Prior to this, blood could not be stored due to a rapid breakdown of red blood cells.
Drew discovered that by separating the liquid (plasma) from the whole and refrigerating them separately, they could be recombined for transfusion. He also found that everyone has the same plasma, so it was often sufficient to perform a plasma transfusion regardless of blood type.
With WWII underway, he left for England to set up their first blood bank, innovated refrigerated bloodmobiles, and opposed racial segregation in donating and administering blood – and saving countless lives ever since.