Muriel Petioni

Muriel Petioni (January 1, 1914 – December 6, 2011) was an American physician and community activist in Harlem. She was known as the "matron of Harlem health" because she sought to fulfill the healthcare needs of the underprivileged people in Harlem.

She was born in Trinidad, but her father was exiled to Harlem in 1917 due to his opposition to the colonial government, and in 1919 the rest of his family joined him. Her father eventually became a medical doctor at the age of 40.

While Muriel Petioni’s father, Charles Petioni, was still a pre-medical student, her family lived a half a mile away from the New York Colored Mission in a railroad apartment. Being close to the organization allowed them to spend more time helping Caribbean immigrants find jobs in the community and socialize adults and children to American society. Muriel remembers other people living in their household as well that were described in the census as lodgers. Muriel's family would take in the lodgers in exchange for money to help pay the rent and other expenses such as her father’s night school education.

Muriel described her early life in Harlem with limited career options for immigrants such as her family. She claimed that most immigrants only had the option of working in a local garment factory or days work that would involve traveling to the Bronx to be hired. After taking a few years off when her son was born in 1947, she started her practice again on the ground floor of her home, which was also where her father had his practice. She was among the first generation of black doctors given staff privileges at Harlem Hospital in the 1950s.

Her awards include the Howard University College of Medicine Outstanding Alumni Award, given in 1992, and the 1999 Frederick Douglass Award, bestowed by Douglass's great-great-granddaughter, which was the highest honor of the New York Urban League.

Dr. Petioni also held many board positions during her career. The list includes membership in Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, local branches of the American Cancer Society, Columbia School of Social Work, Schomburg Corporation, the Greater Harlem Nursing Home, Health Promotion Center, Harlem Council of Elders, Handmaid of Mary and cancer support groups for women such as Sister to Sister. Throughout her career, she worked to embody her philosophy that medicine is a form of community service. Her commitment toward community medicine, women’s issues, and health care for underserved populations is shown by working in a practice that worked mainly with underserved populations and serving on multiple board positions.

Muriel was able to practice medicine in a variety of settings, exposing her to many different experiences. Through these experiences, she was able to witness what areas of the communities were underserved. When she found a gap in care, she often attempted to step in and assist, whether it was through encouragement or support. She claimed that her ability to work with people from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities allowed her to gain respect for personal and cultural differences. She spent time working with poor, underserved communities as well as political elite. Muriel believes she served as a role model for many people in her community and inspired others to get involved in projects.

Social work Muriel Petioni spent many hours contributing to the New York Colored Mission while growing up. The New York Colored Mission was a local social service organization that aimed at helping immigrants, as well as New York natives, in finding jobs. Most of the jobs that the organization found for the applicants was domestic work, although by the mid 2000s, they were able to place some individuals in factory jobs. Many of the applicants were immigrants from the Caribbean, similar to Muriel’s family. In 1927, the organization received over 500 applications for factory work from Caribbean immigrants alone. In the mid 1920s, the New York Colored Mission was functioning as settlement house model. People working in the organization would help socialize adults and children to middle class values that would aid in work and social settings.