Indianapolis, Indiana (PRWEB) June 19, 2015The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) convened the inaugural regional meeting of the Global Advisory Panel on the Future of Nursing (GAPFON) 15-16 June 2015 in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in collaboration with the Korean Nurses Association (KNA). More than 50 key nurse leaders from the Southeast Asia/Pacific Rim region(1) were invited to participate in this historic event.Sponsored by Pfizer, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, GAPFON is a catalyst for nurse leaders to work together and develop a unified voice and vision for the future of nursing and health care globally. According to STTI President Dr. Hester C. Klopper, “Nurse leaders from this region are committed to working collaboratively to ensure universal access to care within the framework of the World Health Organization (WHO) health architecture and United Nations (U.N.) post-2015 agenda.”“I applaud GAPFON and STTI for convening the inaugural GAPFON regional meeting in Seoul, Republic of Korea, prior to the International Council of Nurses’ (ICN) Meeting and Conference, which we are hosting,” said KNA President Dr. Oksoo Kim. “We are pleased to collaborate with GAPFON in a critical juncture in our history as we fight the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak. GAPFON will help all of us in our region be more prepared to meet the global health goals and challenges of the 21st Century.”