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The Black Scholars Index remembers Dr. Muriel Petion (2954 hits)

The Black Scholars Index remembers Dr. Muriel Petioni, an African-American doctor, activist, and community server.

http://www.blackscholarsindex.com/2011/12/...
Posted By: Leshell Hatley
Wednesday, December 21st 2011 at 8:12PM
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Hi Leshell! Always wonderful to stop by and read from you. Thanks for the information and a teaching moment.
Thursday, December 22nd 2011 at 9:48PM
MIISRAEL Bride
Oh by the way..have a blessed Christmas too!
Thursday, December 22nd 2011 at 9:49PM
MIISRAEL Bride


Thank you Leshell Hatley

One of my daughters recently presented a discussion about the Great Dr. Petion.

http://www.petionics.org/about_us/$0c7eaf0...

Muriel Petioni, MD

From the beginning, Muriel Petioni was destined to become a doctor. Born on January 1, 1914, into a family with a formidable medical tradition — nine of her family members are doctors — she spent her early childhood years in Trinidad and Tobago before moving with her family to Harlem, New York, where her father set up a private practice. Petioni soon followed in her father's footsteps, graduating with a B.S. from Howard University in 1934, and graduating from Howard University Medical School three years later.

After a two-year internship at Harlem Hospital Center from 1937 to 1939, Petioni became a college physician at several universities, and in 1942, she married a Tuskegee Airman, Mal Woolfolk. In 1947, a year after Woolfolk had returned from the war, the couple had their only son, Charles. Petioni took a break from medicine and spent the next three years as a housewife and mother.

In 1950, she returned not only to her profession, but also to her home in Harlem, and set up a private practice in the same office her father had used for his practice. She maintained this practice for forty years, tirelessly serving the Harlem community. A medical doctor, educator and community activist, she has worked diligently to ensure that underserved communities receive proper medical attention and equitable access to healthcare.
Petioni served for thirty years as school physician in Central Harlem for the New York City Department of Health, as well as the supervising physician for Central Harlem and East Harlem from 1980 to 1984. She currently sits on the board for the Harlem Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and is chairperson and founder of the Friends of Harlem Hospital Center, organized in 1987 to raise funds and provide support for the 114-year-old hospital.

The advancement of women in medicine has always been important to Petioni, and in 1974 she founded the Susan Smith McKinney Steward Medical Society for Women, a professional association for black women physicians. This organization has been instrumental in providing institutional support for women in medical profession in the Greater New York area. In her work with the Coalition of 100 Black Women, Petioni has developed a mentorship program that guides young black women into careers in medicin

Petioni is the recipient of numerous awards, honors and recognitions. As she enters her sixth decade of community health work in Harlem, Petioni's remarkable energy, passion and dedication remain undiminished.

- Petioni was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on May 18, 2001.

The Dr. Petioni Charter School evolved from work initiated by the Central Harlem Inter-Agency Program (CHIPS) and Region 10 (of the NYC Department of Education) officials to address educational inequities and student performance gaps in Community School District (CSD) #5. Specifically, on May 17, 2005, CHIPS, in cooperation with Region 10, sponsored a Youth Forum at the Harlem State Office Building. More than 250 middle and high school students, their parents and teachers met in morning work groups where they identified their concerns and discussed obstacles hindering their education. Toward the end of the morning sessions, the work groups developed a list of strategies to address and improve the obstacles they discussed.

During the afternoon session, forum attendees presented their concerns and recommendations to a gathering of invited elected officials from congressional, state and city. These elected officials, in turn, made recommendations and promised to follow-up on the areas within their jurisdictions. It was during this concluding session that the idea for a school dedicated to scholarship, health awareness and community leadership was first advanced.

Monday, September 14th 2015 at 9:15AM
robert powell
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