A gynecologic oncologist, Dr. Stephen DePasquale is a member of a unique subspecialty in the United States numbering from 500 to 700. His education and training, which includes both pharmacy school and medical school, prepared him for practicing both surgery and medicine at Chattanooga’s Program in Women’s Oncology, which he founded in 2006.

The pairing of his surgical and pharmacological practices means that Dr. DePasquale is involved with all aspects of women’s oncology care, from surgery to treatment. His goal for Chattanooga’s Program in Women’s Oncology is to attract multiple subspecialists under one roof to treat all types of cancers in women, in addition to gynecologic cancers.

A native of Albany, New York, Dr. DePasquale completed a fellowship at Brown University in Rhode Island before moving to Chattanooga in 2001. Since then, he has seen many changes in surgical and chemotherapy treatments for women’s gynecologic cancers.

In 2002, Parkridge Medical Center obtained the da Vinci® Surgical System, which was approved by the FDA in 2000 for use in treating gynecologic cancers. Dr. DePasquale began using the robotic system shortly after its arrival and became one of the first Gynecologic Oncologists to utilize the new surgical tool. Since then, he has performed close to 500 procedures.

The laparoscopic surgical tool has meant that women spend less time in the hospital post surgery. Additionally, they have a quicker recovery time - two weeks as opposed to six to eight weeks.

Dr. DePasquale also offers a new treatment for ovarian cancer: intraperitoneal chemotherapy, which delivers chemotherapy directly into the peritoneum. This procedure has been shown to extend overall survival for women with advanced ovarian cancer.

DePasquale serves as Assistant Professor and Director of Resident Research at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Erlanger Hospital. His students gain exposure in the treatment and diagnosis of gynecologic cancers by assisting Dr. DePasquale in surgery and seeing patients. The teaching program at Erlanger was one of the reasons Dr. DePasquale was drawn to Chattanooga in 2001, as he was looking for a teaching program as well as beginning his medical practice.

Gynecologic oncologist, robotic surgeon, and medical professor are just three of the hats that Dr. DePasquale wears, but most important to him is that of father, which on October 6, 2004, took a tragic turn. His 11-year-old son, Nicholas, an honor student and quarterback for his local football team, collapsed and died at home from sudden cardiac arrest. Despite his medical training, Dr. DePasquale was unable to revive his son.

Dr. DePasquale and his wife, Lisa, soon learned that their son had a rare congenital heart defect called Short QT syndrome. Because it was a congenital condition, they had their two younger sons, Alex and Gregory, tested for the defect and were shocked to learn they, too, had the syndrome. As a result, Alex and Gregory have had internal cardiac defibrillators implanted and are able to lead normal lives. Their oldest child, Brittany, was tested and found not to have the syndrome, but another heart abnormality which required a cardiac ablation. To have four children with heart abnormalities is very rare, especially since Dr. DePasquale and Lisa do not have any heart problems.

The loss of a child is such a life-shattering event that many families are left broken and unable to function with any sense of normalcy. Dr. DePasquale and his family have channeled their grief into Nicholas’ Heart Fund, a fund that they established to help save the lives of others who are affected by sudden cardiac arrest.

“I want to make
Chattanooga a
‘Heart Safe City,’”

says Dr. DePasquale. To that end, and in his son’s memory, he established Nicholas’ Heart Fund (www.nicholasheartfund.org), a collaborative effort by the Chattanooga medical community to reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death. Their goal is to place automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in the 79 Hamilton County public and private schools that have athletic programs.

An AED is a device about the size of a laptop computer that analyzes the heart’s rhythm for any abnormalities and, if necessary, directs the rescuer to deliver an electrical shock to the victim. Dr. DePasquale explains that the AED will not deliver an electric shock unless an abnormal heart rhythm requiring an electric shock is detected. After a sudden cardiac arrest, if the heart can be started and a regular rhythm established within two minutes, 90 percent of victims will survive. Every minute that passes without defibrillation, a victim’s chance of survival decreases by seven to ten percent, which is why Dr. DePasquale has made it his mission to make AEDs readily accessible to the public.

Dr. Gregg Shander of the Chattanooga Heart Institute says, “If we place AEDs in areas where groups of people commonly gather, more lives can be saved. AEDs are safe, effective, and an easily learned method of treating victims of cardiac arrest. And the sooner defibrillation is started, the more likely a person will survive.”

To date, Nicholas’ Heart Fund has raised about $100,000 and placed AEDs - which cost $1,500 - in 45 schools in Hamilton County. They have also placed AEDs at AT&T Field, the Chattanooga Aquarium, and in some local churches. The fund’s goal is to eventually place AEDs in public spaces throughout the community, such as restaurants, malls, and shopping centers.

Nicholas’ Heart Fund also seeks to provide CPR and AED training to staff members of schools, and to establish a database to collect and report statistics on the program’s effectiveness. As part of their fundraising efforts, and in conjunction with Hamilton County Schools, there will be Nicholas’ Heart Fund fundraising events at the Chattanooga Lookouts games in April and August of 2009.

Dr. DePasquale also works with the American Heart Association and Parent Heart Watch, a national organization that educates the public about Sudden Cardiac Arrest and preventable Sudden Cardiac Death in youth. He has led lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness for heart disease detection and treatment.

The DePasquale family’s lives were forever changed in October of 2004, but their hope is that Nicholas’ story will prevent others from dying too soon.

Gynecologic oncologist, robotic surgeon, and medical professor, Dr. DePasquale hopes that Chattanooga’s designation as a “Heart Safe City” will not only be a selling point for the city, but will save lives. For more information on the Nicholas’ Heart Fund, call 423-266-3636.