The University of Wisconsin received international recognition this week as an alumna won the Pulitzer Prize for her profile of a child’s medical struggle which defied diagnosis.

Kathleen Gallagher and a team of journalists from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel won the Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of a four-year-old boy’s medical battle with an undiagnosed illness.

Gallagher, who graduated from UW in 1981, writes for the business section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and also covers stories in the life sciences and health fields in the state of Wisconsin, a statement from UW said.

The prize is awarded annually to journalists and writers with the most compelling and in-depth stories. Gallagher and her colleague won in the category of explanatory reporting, according to a release from the Pulitzer Prize Board.

UW journalism professor Greg Downey said in a statement the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel earned the recognition for publishing a series of stories of exceptional explanatory journalism.

Gallagher’s body of work received positive acclaim for its use of a variety of different media to capture many angles of the story.

UW journalism professor Katy Culver said Gallagher and her colleagues utilized the conventional method of reporting in print and also used photos, videos, graphics and online media to present their story in fresh and interesting ways.

“Ten years ago or maybe even a year ago someone would have written this story as a narrative only on paper,” Culver said.

Culver added the Sentinel’s use of different media in the story clearly shows the way the public receives their news is changing and stories such as Gallagher and her colleague’s’ serve to grab an audience’s attention.

Gallagher is not the first Badger alumni to win the prestigious award. She joins over a dozen Pulitzer Prize winning writers and journalists who have graduated from UW.

While the award draws attention to the Journalism School, Culver said the school cannot accept all the credit.

“Any time a UW alumna is honored we like to brag, but the truth is their success is not totally due to the school,” she said.

She added journalists in the news and reporting world still need to have the drive to delve deeper into their stories.

Culver said she was very proud that UW continues to produce journalists who are brave in what they write.

Gallagher and her colleagues received $10,000 for the award from the Pulitzer Prize Board.