What was Dr. House’s medical specialty before leading Diagnostic Medicine?

Dr. House’s medical specialties were infectious disease and nephrology before he led Diagnostic Medicine.

Infectious disease concerns illnesses caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Nephrology focuses on the kidneys, including kidney disease, fluid balance, blood pressure, and dialysis. These fields fit House’s role because many of his cases involve unexplained systemic symptoms and complex interactions among organs.

House is introduced as a diagnostician rather than as a doctor limited to one routine clinical department. His team investigates patients whose symptoms do not fit an obvious diagnosis, drawing on specialists from neurology, immunology, oncology, surgery, and other fields. House’s knowledge of infectious disease and nephrology gives him an important foundation, but the show presents his diagnostic work as unusually broad.

A common error is to identify House solely as an infectious-disease specialist or solely as a nephrologist. The character is associated with both specialties. His hospital title and daily work are in Diagnostic Medicine, while infectious disease and nephrology describe his formal medical background.