Lisa Cuddy

Living... in New Jersey by herself. Though Dr. Cuddy spends most of her time at work.

Profession... Dean of Medicine and hospital administrator at the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Cuddy manages an extremely skilled group of physicians, including the impulsive and unconventional Dr. Gregory House.

Interests... children. Cuddy (thanks in part to House’s influence, nearly everyone at Princeton-Plainsboro is called solely by their last name) badly wants to be a mother, but the circumstances have never been quite right. Unwilling to wait for the perfect relationship, she attempts in-vitro fertilization on her own, but fails three times. This failure is extremely upsetting to her: "When I see people with their kids, it's so natural. Maybe my wanting to be a mother is like a tone-deaf person wanting to sing opera."

Relationship Status... single. Cuddy and House met in college years ago and had a one-night stand. But when Cuddy becomes his supervisor at the hospital, Cuddy has to dampen her (mixed) feelings for House. That’s often not hard because House is regularly antagonistic toward her, as he is to most people – but especially authority figures.

Challenge... balancing her career and personal life. At the hospital, Cuddy has to be extremely diplomatic and steadfast with her decisions. But as her personal relationships with many of her colleagues develop, especially with House, this becomes more and more difficult. She generally does a good job at making calls based purely on what is best for the hospital, but does face many conflicting scenarios in which she can't help but consider her friendships with the other employees. Keeping a tight leash on House is tough enough.

Personality... level-headed, pragmatic, and compassionate. Dr. Cuddy prides herself at being the strong, independent woman in charge. She is reasonable, but sticks to her guns in situations in which her opinion is called into question (which is quite often with House on the staff). She does display a good deal of outward emotion, especially when put on the spot or confronted with something she is passionate about. But she is generally able to see through her emotional state and make the best, most logical decision for the hospital or herself. House would never admit it, but she’s a great boss.