Dr. Charles Richard Drew “Father of the Blood Bank” 🩸 An African American surgeon and researcher, he organized the first large-scale blood bank in the United States. 🩸 In the late 1930s, he conducted research into the properties and preservation of blood plasma. He developed efficient ways to process and store large quantities of blood plasma in “blood banks.” 🩸 His innovation of better blood storage and blood transfusion helped save thousands of lives during World War II. In 1941, he was the