Dr. Parnell is a nurse, a recognized health literacy expert, and an award-winning author. She is a Clinical Associate Professor at Stony Brook University in the Graduate Program in Health Administration. In addition, Dr. Parnell is Principal and Founder of Health Literacy Partners LLC, a corporation that specializes in providing a tapestry of solutions to promote health equity by enhancing person-centered care, effective communication, and the patient experience.
Previously, Dr. Parnell was Vice President for Health Literacy and Patient Education for the Northwell Health System where she was responsible for the health literacy strategic plan and integrating concepts of health literacy, language access services, and cultural awareness into core activities across the system.
She is a graduate of St. Vincent’s Hospital School of Nursing in New York City. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Adelphi University, a Master's Degree in health care administration from Hofstra University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Case Western Reserve University.
Dr. Parnell is a member of the Roundtable on Health Literacy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the New York Academy of Medicine. In 2016, Dr. Parnell joined TVR Communications Advisory Board as their Chief Nursing Officer (CNO). Her second book, Health Literacy in Nursing: Providing Person-Centered Care received an American Journal of Nursing 2015 Book of the Year Award in the category of Nursing Management and Leadership.
