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Patricia Callahan

Patricia Callahan (BSJ93) was inducted into the Medill Hall of Achievement in 2018.

She is currently a Senior Reporter covering business for ProPublica.

Callahan has shared two Pulitzer Prizes for investigative journalism. She earned her first for breaking news reporting as part of the team at the Denver Post that covered the shooting at Columbine High School. In 2008, Callahan shared another Pulitzer when her Tribune series on deadly children's products prompted Congress to overhaul the Consumer Product Safety Commission and to mandate these items undergo rigorous tests before they are sold.

Even while she was still in Medill, Callahan prompted change. In an internship at the Chicago Tribune, she wrote a story showing the housing authority was not protecting windows in its high-rises, which led to several children falling from the buildings. The Tribune splashed Callahan's story across the front page, and the housing authority installed thousands of window guards.

Callahan was Medill's first Henry Luce Scholar, traveling to Thailand where she investigated trafficking of children for prostitution.