In House M.D., what medical specialty does Dr. House head?

Dr. Gregory House heads the Department of Diagnostic Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in House M.D.

Diagnostic medicine focuses on identifying the cause of difficult or unexplained symptoms. In the series, House’s team combines clues from medical histories, examinations, laboratory tests, imaging, and sometimes risky procedures to reach a diagnosis.

The department is central to the show’s structure. Most episodes begin with a puzzling illness, then follow the team as it proposes and tests competing explanations. The mystery format is one reason House M.D. is often compared with detective fiction.

Diagnostic medicine should not be confused with a single organ-based specialty such as cardiology or neurology. House’s work is deliberately broad, drawing on several specialties when a case crosses conventional boundaries.