Lisa Cuddy is Gregory House’s boss and the hospital administrator in House M.D.
Cuddy serves as Dean of Medicine and hospital administrator at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. She supervises House’s department, manages institutional policy, and repeatedly attempts to contain his risky methods. Her authority is often tested by House’s refusal to follow rules, obtain conventional consent, or respect administrative limits.
Despite their conflicts, Cuddy recognizes House’s diagnostic ability and protects his department when his results justify the expense and disruption. Their relationship also develops beyond workplace rivalry, creating one of the show’s major personal storylines. Lisa Edelstein portrayed Cuddy through the show’s seventh season.
Cuddy is distinct from Wilson, who is a senior physician and oncology leader rather than the hospital’s chief administrator. The character’s role changes in the final season after Edelstein’s departure, but Cuddy remains the administrator most closely associated with House’s long tenure at Princeton-Plainsboro.