Lisa Cuddy is House’s hospital administrator and dean of medicine in House M.D.
Cuddy oversees Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital and is responsible for balancing patient care, budgets, staffing, legal concerns, and House’s frequent violations of hospital policy. Her professional authority creates an ongoing conflict with House, whose diagnostic results often make his behavior difficult to punish.
Lisa Edelstein played Cuddy for the first seven seasons. The character is also one of the show’s most important personal relationships for House, particularly as their professional conflict develops into a romantic storyline. Cuddy’s role combines institutional leadership with medical expertise, since she is a physician as well as an administrator.
Cuddy is sometimes confused with Dr. Stacy Warner, House’s former partner and hospital lawyer, or with Dr. Allison Cameron, one of his fellows. The surname Cuddy is the specific identifier for House’s dean and administrator.