Dean Pennington II, PA-C, is a board certified Physician Assistant at Azalea Orthopedics working with Dr. Michael Merrick as part of his Spine Team. Dean completed his Physician Assistant training from the University of Oklahoma Medical School in 1998. Prior to becoming a Physician Assistant, Dean was a Warrant Officer and AH-64 Apache helicopter pilot in the United States Army. He served for 9 ½ years worldwide, including during Desert Storm.

In 2016, he began working with Dr. Michael Merrick at Azalea Orthopedics. Together, they’ve created a strong partnership focusing on all aspects of patient care.

Dean Pennington II, PA-C, has lived in Lindale with his family for more than two decades. Together, Dean and his wife Djuana have four children. Djuana is also a health care provider, serving as an RN at Texas Spine and Joint (TSJ) in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU).  She is among five employees who opened TSJ in 2002.

Outside of work, Dean is active in the community including attending church at New Harmony Baptist Church, supporting the Boy Scouts, and attending as many Lindale sporting events as possible.  Dean also enjoys solo hiking and camping each year when the temperature drops, along with scuba and cave diving.  Both he and his wife have a personal mission to sample as many different fried chicken and barbeque places that they can in Texas!

Along with Dr. Michael Merrick, Dean was featured in the April 2022 edition of Tyler Medical Professionals Magazine. Click here to read their stories.

In September 2024, Dean Pennington was voted by readers of the Tyler Morning Telegraph as the Overall Winner of Best Physician Assistant.