Schooling

Charles R. Drew's academic path was marked by groundbreaking achievements and perseverance.

Drew at his alma mater, Amherst College in 1924

Undergrad, 1922-1926

Drew attended Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts from 1922-1926. He went on a partial athletic scholarship focusing on football. After sustaining a sever injury and mouring the death of his little sister, he became passionate about pursuing medicine and ended up majoring in Biology and Chemistry. He spent two years after his graduation, where he was one of 16 African Americans to do so during the 1920s, working at Morgan College in order to save money and attend medical school (Tan and Merritt 2017). He was only eligible to apply to two US medical schools: Howard and Harvard. To which he was denied and waitlisted, respectively. He then decided to apply to McGill University in Montreal, to which he was accepted.

Medical School, 1928-1940

Drew pursued medical studies at McGill University, and in 1933 received a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degree. He graduated second in his class and earned multiple academic prizes. His final thesis focused on treating shock victims, which led him to his early interest in blood research. He then went on in 1940 to become the first African American to earn a Doctor of Medical Science degree at Columbia University. This was where he began to develop the methods to separate and preserve blood plasma.

Drew in the McGill 1932 Mens Track and Field team photo

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