Obstetrician-Gynecologist Delivers Babies on One Side of the Earth, Travels Camera-in-Hand to the Other
Photo Exhibit Covering Travel in 120 Countries by RWJ Hamilton's Dr. Antonio Sison Begins March 13

March 2, 2007

HAMILTON, NEW JERSEY – Antonio Sison, MD, FACOG, enjoys his professional life as Medical Director of the Robert Wood Johnson OB/GYN Group Hamilton. In the practice he is known as a caring physician who delivers babies and treats patients with respect and compassion.

What his patients may not know is that the same Dr. Sison moves freely in the Omo River Valley of southern Ethiopia, photographing tribes clad in the traditional body paint of their culture.

This photo, "Mother with Baby and Baby Llama" was taken in Cuzco, Peru by Dr. Antonio Sison, during one of his journeys across the Earth over the course of 20 years.

An exhibit of Dr. Sison's photography, culled from his journeys over 20 years in 120 countries and seven continents is being assembled at RWJ Hamilton. The exhibit, called Our Planet Earth: Anthropological, Cultural and Geographic Diversities, will run from March 12 to April 15. An opening reception will be held on Tuesday, March 13 at 5:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and Dr. Sison will be available to discuss his work and journeys.

"What I've seen in other parts of the world has given me perspective," says Dr. Sison. "The people that I care for are rich or poor, young or old, sick or healthy. When I go elsewhere and see people, no matter what their circumstance or location, I see them as the same people who walk into my office."

An Exhibit in Contrasts
Dr. Sison's exhibit will contrast the diversity of Earth and its people. In each frame, he will juxtapose two photographs; lush waterfalls next to landscapes of desert sand, the ornate ceiling of a mosque alongside the interior dome of a church, the vibrant colors of shoppers in an open-air market adjacent to men in black clothing play chess. The exhibit will include 24 images, which Dr. Sison has chosen from his nearly 1 million photographs.

Antonio Sison, MD, FACOG, an Obstetrician and Gynecologist who is Chairman of the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton Obstetrics/Gynecology Department as well as Medical Director of the Robert Wood Johnson OB/GYN Group Hamilton and Director of Obstetric Services at Planned Parenthood in Trenton.

As his exhibit focuses on the contrasts of Earth, Dr. Sison's method of photography is in contrast to what has become commonplace in our digital age. Each image he captures is on slide film. Dr. Sison has made a conscious decision avoid digital photography, advocating that film captures life better and renders a true image.

Photographs to be Sold: Will Benefit RWJ Hamilton's Postpartum Depression Program Dr. Sison has been a leader in providing OB/GYN services to the greater Mercer County community. He serves as Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton and as Director of Obstetric Services at Planned Parenthood in Trenton.

It is his devotion to the community that has motivated Dr. Sison to sell framed versions of his photographs following the exhibit; he will be donating 100 percent of the profits to RWJ Hamilton's Postpartum Depression (PPD) Screening and Education program. The program will help raise awareness in new mothers and their families to recognize the symptoms of PPD with childbirth education classes, screenings following birth, and education to the new mother, father and family members prior to discharge from the hospital. PPD is a mood disorder new mothers may experience following giving birth; if left untreated it can become severe and result in physical illness to the mother or neglect to newborns.

To register in advance for Our Planet Earth: Anthropological, Cultural and Geographic Diversities, please contact the RWJ Hamilton Foundation, (609) 584-6581.