Lisa Cuddy is the hospital administrator and dean of medicine who leads Princeton-Plainsboro for most of House M.D. Lisa Edelstein played Cuddy throughout the first seven seasons.
Cuddy is responsible for managing the hospital, supervising departments, and containing House’s frequent violations of policy. She values his diagnostic talent but regularly confronts his irresponsibility, unauthorized treatments, and conflicts with patients and staff. This creates one of the show’s most durable professional relationships: Cuddy is both House’s boss and one of the few people able to challenge him effectively.
Cuddy and House eventually begin a romantic relationship, but it ends during the seventh season after House relapses and behaves dangerously. Edelstein left the series after season seven, and the hospital’s leadership changed in the final season. Cuddy is sometimes described simply as a dean, but her full medical-administrative role matters: she is Dean of Medicine and administrator of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.