Monday, March 23, 2026
CVTC student keeps health care profession in family
Gianna Cork, left, of Baldwin, is following in several family members’ footsteps as she looks to graduate from Chippewa Valley Technical College’s Radiography program in July.
Health care isn’t just a career path for Gianna Cork. It’s a family tradition, decades in the making.
From physicians and nurses to a pharmacist and paramedic, Cork, 21, grew up surrounded by relatives dedicated to caring for others. But it’s her grandfather’s story of returning to school in his 30s and moving his entire family into student housing to become a general surgeon that stands out.
“My grandfather was a physician in New Richmond, and he realized that they needed a general surgeon there, so he went back to school,” Cork said.
Grandpa, Neal Melby, was already a physician and wanted to help his community by pursuing additional education. That path helped shape Cork’s perspective on what it means to serve others.
Melby continued practicing until 2015.
Now, as a radiography student at Chippewa Valley Technical College preparing to graduate this summer, Cork is continuing that legacy in her own way by combining advanced imaging technology with hands-on patient care.
Cork’s family includes multiple healthcare professionals across generations. Her father is a general surgeon, one uncle is a physician, another is a pharmacist, and yet another is a paramedic. Her grandmother was a nurse, and another family member worked as a CRNA.
With that kind of influence, it’s no surprise Cork was drawn to the field early on.
“I always thought I wanted to do something in the medical field,” she said. “I thought I wanted to be a surgeon. But the schooling is just so long.”
That led her to consider other paths.
Cork, of Baldwin, is preparing to graduate in July as a radiologic technologist. She said the field offers more opportunities than she initially realized.
While imaging technology is central to the role, Cork said patient care is just as important.
“You have to learn how to interact with patients who are sick and uncomfortable,” she said.
Through her program, Cork has completed extensive clinical hours at healthcare facilities throughout the region, helping her build confidence and independence.
She said those experiences have helped prepare her for the workforce.
For Cork, the work is meaningful in a unique way.
“Radiology is like the eyes of medicine,” she said. “You see inside the body and see what’s wrong, what’s broken, and what’s not working right.”
As she prepares to enter the field, Cork carries forward a family tradition rooted in care, service, and meeting the needs of others as her grandfather once did.
