Lisa Cuddy is House’s hospital boss for most of House M.D. She serves as the Dean of Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital and supervises House’s department.
Cuddy is played by Lisa Edelstein. She values House’s diagnostic talent but frequently has to manage his rule-breaking, unauthorized treatments, and conflicts with patients and colleagues. Their professional relationship develops into a romantic relationship during the series.
Cuddy’s administrative position distinguishes her from House’s medical teammates. She is not the head of Diagnostic Medicine; House holds that department’s leadership. Cuddy instead oversees the wider hospital and is responsible for balancing clinical care, finances, legal risks, and institutional policy.
Edelstein left the main cast after season seven. Cuddy therefore does not appear as House’s hospital administrator throughout the eighth and final season, a detail that can be missed when describing her role across the entire series.