Neurotrauma Advisory Board Members
Bill Rodrigues
In 1976 while a Senior at Damien Memorial High School, Bill joined the Hawaii Air National Guard. After boot camp he received specialty training in munitions, bombs, missiles, bullets, and land mines. Having achieved top secret clearance status while with the National Guard, Bill easily cleared the background check to work at Loomis armored services. Bill went on to serve the State of Hawaii as a grounds supervisor at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF) teaching the youth inmates about groundskeeping and life. While working at HYCF, Bill was sworn in as a deputy sheriff to serve subpoenas for Child Protective Services. Bill later transferred from the HYCF to the City & County of Honolulu to work as a park’s grounds maintenance supervisor.
Since 1985 Bill has been a member of Hawaii’s oldest motorcycle club, The Sons of Hawaii. Through the club and as a part of the mayor’s motorcycle classes, Bill taught motorcycle safety. In 1999, while driving home on the H-1, after a long day on a demolition job, Bill fell asleep. He and his motorcycle were found on a concrete barrier on the freeway median. After spending 6 weeks in a coma, Bill entered rehabilitation to learn how to walk, talk, feed himself, and get on with normal life. Normal life would include enrolling into Hawaii College of Health Sciences. After 1 ½ years of schooling and taking the test 4 times, Bill became a licensed massage therapist in the State of Hawaii.
Billie Jean Wade
Currently, Billie Jean “BJ” Wade is the Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Hawaii and part of the administrative staff for the Honolulu Psychology Collective. She is also an avid volunteer with the service organization, Hawaii Pilot Clubs, filling different roles over the years as President, Governor, and Treasurer. BJ received her education from Kapiolani Community College Paralegal Program and Eastern Michigan University, then went on to a career in the legal field from 1978-2017. For her dedication and outstanding work, BJ’s efforts were recognized in 1997 with the Niu Award – Hawaii Lawyer’s Care Volunteer Legal Service and in 1998 with The Senate State of Hawaii Bill Boykin Niu Justice Award. Her goal is to “collaborate with others to create and support dissemination of information, programming, and events for the brain injured, families, friends, and the community in which they reside.”
Christina “TJ” Donayri
TJ Donayri is an experienced emergency and trauma nurse with more than 22 years of practice across multiple Level I Trauma Centers. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Hawaiʻi Pacific University and a Master of Science in Health Science from George Washington University.
Currently, TJ serves as Faculty for ENPC, TNCC, and ATCN and coordinates all American College of Surgeons courses at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu. In this role, she developed and implemented a standardized trauma onboarding program for new emergency department nurses to improve readiness, consistency, and performance in trauma care. She collaborates closely with frontline emergency department nurses, pediatric readiness initiatives to strengthen preparedness for high-acuity trauma patients. Her work also extends beyond the hospital through community outreach efforts focused on injury prevention and public education.
Seven years ago, TJ transitioned into her current role as Clinical Coordinator for Injury Prevention, Outreach, and Education within the Trauma Service Department at The Queen’s Medical Center. A core component of her work includes analyzing community injury data to inform targeted prevention strategies and outreach efforts for high-risk populations.
TJ is deeply committed to community engagement and multidisciplinary collaboration to reduce injury-related health disparities across Hawaiʻi. She partners with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health Neurotrauma Support Program, the Kapiʻolani Injury Prevention Center (KIPC), the Trauma Center Association of America (TCAA) National Injury Prevention Committee, and Hawaiʻi Traffic Commanders.
Her combined expertise in emergency nursing, trauma education, pediatric readiness, and injury prevention reflects a sustained commitment to improving trauma outcomes—from the bedside to the broader community.
Dr. Kent Yamamoto
Dr. Yamamoto graduated from the Creighton University School of Medicine in 2002. He works in Honolulu, HI specializing in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Dr. Yamamoto is the Medical Director of the Stroke and TBI Programs at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific. He is also affiliated with other hospitals throughout the state of Hawaii.
Molly Trihey
Molly is a 13 year student from Sacred Hearts Academy and graduate of UH Manoa with a degree in Business Law. She has a C6-7 spinal cord injury due to a diving accident in 1997. Currently she is in the process of establishing a transfer training class at the Rehab Hospital, to start in the Fall of 2018, with a desire for it to be a continuing source of education that will provide tools for those living statewide with SCI and other neurotrauma injuries. Molly is also in the process of getting her real estate license with a specialty in helping clients who wish to find or make accessible homes and address their current or future accessibility needs. Driving from her wheelchair in a van with hand controls allows her to be an active member in the community. Her hopes as a board member are to increase the knowledge and standards for those helping individuals with SCI and finally make life easier for those living with a neurotrauma injury.
Scott Sagum
Neurotrauma Advisory Board Chair
Scott W.K. “Scotty” Sagum, Stroke survivor. A former Hotel General Manager, small business entrepreneur, former Ironman Triathlon Competitor. Suffered a major hemorrhagic stroke on November 1993 at age 41. Lives totally independently, Drives, works, etc. Since his stroke, he became an owner and partner of the West Kauai Craft Fair. He also became an owner operator of CSMG & Company LLC Hotel & Resort consulting, management, an services contracting. On the weekends, he was a DJ on the KFMN radio station Kauai fm97.
- 2001 ARDA Gold Medal Winner : GM of a large resort
Stella Wong
Stella M. Q. Wong was born and raised in Honolulu. She received her education from the University of Hawaii, Masters in Social Work and a Bachelor of Science in Human Development. She taught at the University of Hawaii in Human Development from 1974-1986. In 1982, she started at Interim Services as a Community Relations Representative and became Vice President of the firm in 1989. Her responsibilities included the management of the statewide sales and marketing efforts. She also conducted research to assess the community needs, develop innovative and creative ways to meet those needs and writing proposals for statewide contracts. In September of 1996, she became the Executive Director of Catholic Charities Elderly Services. Catholic Charities Elderly Services is an affiliate agency of Catholic Charities Hawaii, a nonprofit organization. In 2004, Catholic Charities Hawaii merged all the affiliate agencies and she became the Vice President, Programs for Catholic Charities Hawaii. She currently oversees 50 programs statewide.
Valerie Yamada
In 2004, Val was completing an internship to achieve her career goal of becoming a Registered Nurse. Just 6 weeks before graduation, a startled patient inadvertently pushed her into a structural column causing her to hit her head. Following the incident, she was seen immediately by an Emergency Department doctor who treated her for symptoms of whiplash. Val knew something was not right and sought follow-up care with her Primary Care Physician, who scheduled her for an MRI. Two days before the MRI, a brain clot, which formed due to the head injury, caused Val to experience her first major stroke.
This stroke began a long rehabilitation journey for which Val feels very fortunate to have had the much-needed support of family, friends, medical providers, and other health professionals. In addition to her support system, Val has empowered herself by using her nursing background to research different therapies, advocate for treatments, and fully engage in her healing. While several transient ischemic attacks over the years and have dealt setbacks to Val’s rehabilitation, she rises to meet each challenge by staying active in managing her care and treatments, participating in support groups, being the lead organizer for the support group Hui Malama Po’o, and serving on the Neurotrauma Board to advocate for others living with disabilities.
