''I was very surprised.''
The University of Otago human nutrition associate professor said although she had been a dietitian for 44 years, she did not expect to get the award, because she had worked in research, rather than in the health system.
''Not that the award always goes to people in hospitals,'' she said, laughing.
''But I felt I wasn't a mainstream dietitian.
''But obviously, I have contributed to the profession by teaching.''
Dr Parnell has also contributed to the body of human nutrition research over the years, and said she was proud to have developed a measure for food insecurity as part of her work.
''In itself, it's not satisfying, because it doesn't solve the problem,'' she said.
''But it gives you the ammunition to say, this is a real problem, we must deal with it.''
In a press release, Dietitians NZ said Dr Parnell was ''known and can be relied upon to cut through the jargon, the debates and the discussions, to give a simple summary of how it really is, in New Zealand households''.
''Her unwavering focus on food, nutritional adequacy, rigorous science and social justice has driven her commitment to offer postgraduate education to students at a distance, undertake research with Pasifika people and the food insecure and lead national nutrition surveys.''
