Florea Voinea passed away at 69 years of age on 29^th of September 2010, after 35 years of academic activity and 44 years spent on the medical service, after a dedicated life as mentor for his disciples and generous and worm medical support for his patients, leaving behind a huge sadness.

After graduating Faculty of Medicine and Farmacy in Bucharest in 1966, he started his medical internship, becoming Internal Medicine specialist in 1974, and embraced the academic career as Assistant of Internal Medicine in UMF Craiova, in 1975. Lots of acquirements fulfilled his professional and academic activity, becoming senior physician in Internal Medicine in 1980, Internal Medicine Lecturer at UMF Craiova in 1990, Associate Professor in 1993 in Faculty of Medicine, Ovidius University of Constanta, and Professor of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, in 1997 at the same university. The research and academic recognition made him become a reputable PhD Coordinator and a Hepatology and Gastroenterology Master Coordinator starting with 2000. The professional and leader skills placed him as Head of I^st Internal Medicine Clinic in Craiova County Hospital between 1987 and 1990, and Constanta, from 1992 until the end of his career.  He is considered the founder of Gastroenterology Department in Clinical Hospital of Constanta County and mentor for many generations of Gastroenterologist, making possible the born and raise of this specialty in the South East Romania. He was one of Ovidius University leaders, being successively elected as Vice-Dean of Faculty of Medicine, between 1996 and 2000, and Vice-Rector, starting with 2000. Countless number of quality physicians coming from his students and fellows are his endless professional and mentorship heritage.

He was member or leader of many national and international medical associations and societies, as Balkan Medical Union, French Society of Gastroenterology, Romanian Society of Digestive Endoscopy, Romanian Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, vice – president of the Romanian Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, leader committee member of the Romanian Society of  Ultrasonography, founder of Black Sea Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and president of Internal Medicine Society – Constanta Branch Office. Many national and international congresses, conferences, courses and workshops were organized at the Black Sea Coast in Constanta under his guidance, ranking Faculty of Medicine of Ovidius University at same level as prestigious national or abroad medical universities.

Together with his collaborators, he was editor and author for more than 100 books, chapters and research articles. The quality of these manuscripts was continuously appreciated by the academic community. His devotion for medicine development and his love for human beings made him contribute to the implementation of innovative drug molecules or imagistic techniques in different national guidelines for digestive or hepatology pathologies.

Beside all the academic and professional qualities, his “joie de vivre”, his kindness, his bold spirit, his faith and optimism, made him be loved and appreciated as friend, colleague, doctor or mentor. The spiritual and the scientific legacy left behind will always fulfill the emptiness left by his lost.