Muriel Petioni facts for kids

Muriel Petioni (born January 1, 1914 – died December 6, 2011) was a medical doctor and a community helper in Harlem, New York. People called her the "matron of Harlem health." This is because she worked hard to make sure people in Harlem, especially those who didn't have much, could get good healthcare.

Early Life in Harlem

Muriel Petioni was born on January 1, 1914, in Trinidad. When she was a little girl, her father had to leave Trinidad. He moved to Harlem in 1917 because he disagreed with the government there. In 1919, Muriel and the rest of her family joined him in Harlem.

Her father, Charles Augustin Petioni, became a medical doctor when he was 40 years old. He even ran his medical office from their home. Young Muriel loved helping out by answering the door and the phone for her father's patients. This is where she first started to love medicine. Her parents strongly encouraged her to follow her dreams.

When Muriel’s father was still studying to become a doctor, their family lived near the New York Colored Mission. This organization helped Caribbean immigrants find jobs. It also helped adults and children get used to American society. Muriel remembered other people living in their home too. These "lodgers" paid rent, which helped her family. This money also helped pay for her father’s night school education.

Muriel said that when she was growing up in Harlem, there were not many job choices for immigrants. Most immigrants could only work in a local clothing factory. Or they might do "days work," which meant traveling to the Bronx to find jobs each day.

Becoming a Doctor

Muriel decided to follow in her father's footsteps. In 1934, she earned her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from Howard University. Three years later, in 1937, she earned her medical degree (MD) from Howard University Medical School. She was the only woman in her class!

After getting her MD, Muriel worked for two years as an intern at Harlem Hospital. Later, she became a doctor at several universities. In 1942, Muriel married Mal Woolfolk, who was a Tuskegee Airman. After he came home from the war, she had her first and only son, Charles Woolfolk. As a new mom, she took some time off to care for her son and focus on her home.

Helping Her Community

In 1947, Muriel started her medical practice again. She set up her office on the ground floor of her home, just like her father had done. In the 1950s, she was one of the first Black doctors allowed to work as staff at Harlem Hospital.

Besides her private practice, Dr. Petioni worked as a school doctor in Central Harlem. She did this for the New York City health department from 1950 to 1980. From 1980 to 1984, she was a supervising doctor for Central and East Harlem. She also started or led many community groups in Harlem. One important group she founded was the Friends of Harlem Hospital.

Supporting Women in Medicine

Dr. Petioni also worked hard to support other women doctors. In 1974, she founded the Susan Smith McKinney Steward Medical Society for Women. This group was for African-American women doctors in the New York area. In 1976, she founded and became the first chair of Medical Women of the National Medical Association. This group later became the Council of Women's Concerns of the National Medical Association.

Working with the Coalition of 100 Black Women, she created a program to help young African-American women. This program guided them into careers in science and medicine. She was also the president of the Society of Black Women Physicians.

Awards and Honors

Muriel Petioni received many awards for her important work. In 1992, she got the Howard University College of Medicine Outstanding Alumni Award. In 1999, she received the Frederick Douglass Award. This was the highest honor from the New York Urban League. In 2002, she and her son shared the City College of New York's Generations Public Service Recognition Award. In 2007, she was given a Barnard College Medal of Distinction.

Dr. Petioni also served on many boards. These included the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and local groups of the American Cancer Society. She believed that medicine was a way to serve the community. She showed this by working with people who didn't have much. She also served on many boards that helped women and people who needed healthcare.

Muriel worked in many different medical settings. This helped her see where people in the community needed more help. When she found a gap in care, she always tried to step in and assist. She felt that working with people from many different backgrounds helped her respect everyone's differences. She worked with both poor communities and important political leaders. Muriel believed she was a role model for many people. She inspired others to get involved in helping their communities.

After she passed away, Muriel Petioni's obituary was included in a book. The book was called The Socialite who Killed a Nazi with Her Bare Hands: And 144 Other Fascinating People who Died this Year. It was a collection of obituaries from New York Times published in 2012.

Community Service and Social Work

As a child, Muriel Petioni spent many hours helping at the New York Colored Mission. This was a local social service group. It helped immigrants and New Yorkers find jobs. Most of the jobs they found were domestic work. But by the mid-2000s, they also helped people get factory jobs. Many people who came for help were immigrants from the Caribbean, just like Muriel’s family. In 1927, the group received over 500 requests for factory work from Caribbean immigrants alone.

In the mid-1920s, the New York Colored Mission worked like a "settlement house." People working there helped adults and children learn middle-class values. These values would help them in work and social situations.