Dr. Dean was born and raised in Hope Mills, NC where he lives with his wife, Dr. Julia Hix Dean who is also a veterinarian, and their two children, Nicholas and Kentley who joined the practice as a veterinarian in 2017. He graduated from NCSU School of Veterinary Medicine in 1987 and established his first practice, Southern Oaks Animal Hospital, the same year. He opened a second practice, Cypress Lakes Animal Hospital in 2010, and took ownership of Central Animal Hospital in 2014. His main interests include orthopedics and surgery in small animal medicine, along with equine medicine. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the NCVMA. In 2012 he was appointed by the Governor to the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board, serving as president from 2017 to 2019.
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Dr. Dean enjoys and shows Arabian Horses all over the country with his children and they have had multiple national champions over the years. He enjoys spending time with the mares and foals on his farm and his boxer, Ziva. 

His true love away from practice is boating and salt water fishing. He prefers to spend his spare time with his family and on the water. ​