Altman was conceived as the third major cardiothoracic surgeon attending on the series, following the exits of Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) and Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith).

Another notable storyline includes Altman's relationship with Henry Burton (Scott Foley), a patient she marries to provide healthcare coverage, only to eventually fall in love with him.

Altman reappears in Season 14 after a five-year absence when it is revealed that she helped identify Megan Hunt (Abigail Spencer), Owen's presumed-dead sister, who is found alive.

Since her return, her storylines have focused on her involvement in multiple love triangles, including with Owen, Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), and Tom Koracick (Greg Germann).

Eventually, Altman ascends to the role of Chief of Surgery, succeeding Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) in the position.

As an attending physician, Teddy worked at Columbia University, but after her best friend and lover Allison (Sherri Saum) was killed during the collapse of the second tower on September 11, 2001, she left and joined the army, meeting trauma surgeon Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) during her tour in Baghdad.

Owen brings Teddy to Seattle Grace Mercy West hospital to mentor his girlfriend, Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh).

Cristina asks Owen to put in a good word for Teddy; he does the opposite by telling Chief of Surgery Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) that she would land on her feet.

She later meets Henry Burton (Scott Foley), a patient with the rare genetic condition Von Hippel–Lindau disease, who can no longer afford to pay for his medical care.

In Season 15, Teddy, now heavily pregnant with Owen's baby, gets involved with Tom Koracick (Greg Germann), an attending neurosurgeon at Grey Sloan.

Towards the end of the season, Teddy travels to Los Angeles with a couple other surgeons from Grey Sloan for a medical conference, and she reminisces on her relationship with Allison, who was also her secret lover.

Teddy reaches her breaking point when she is unable to save Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), who dies from a stabbing wound from a child predator.

In the beginning of Season 18, Teddy and Owen got married at the Emerald City Bar after their wedding at the Park was interrupted by a bicycle accident.

In Station 19's fifth season, she guest stars to aid show lead Andy Herrera's (Jaina Lee Ortiz) assaulter.

In October 2009, it was reported that actress Kim Raver would join Grey's Anatomy as Teddy Altman, initially in a recurring role for the show's sixth season.

[2] On May 18, 2012, a day after the Season 8 finale, Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes announced that it was Raver's decision to depart the series.

[6] Entertainment Weekly writer Tanner Stransky remarked that Teddy Altman had not been given a substantial storyline until the arrival of Henry Burton, stating: "I think Kim Raver has always been rather under-used on this show, until more recently.