All professionals at Medical Arts OB/GYN maintain the highest levels of accreditation and pursue ongoing education to stay abreast of the latest trends in the medical field. Read on to learn more about our staff's experience and training.
Maryam Arjomand, MD
OB-GYN
Read her story here:
I have ended up here at Medical Arts ObGyn after a long, meandering journey. I was born in Iran in 1967 to a very forward-thinking father and a devoted mother. To achieve a better education, my parents enrolled me in a boarding school in a rural part of England at the age of 10. I was at that school until we immigrated to the United States. From 1984 to 1988, I attended UC Davis, majoring in Biochemistry. After quickly deciding on a career in medicine, I then enrolled at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of medicine. Even more quickly and far more easily, I decided on becoming an ObGyn. My residency training for ObGyn was at USC, Los Angeles County Hospital. Thereafter, I worked in San Francisco from 1999 to 2006 in private practice and was on staff at CPMC. In 2006, I moved my practice to San Mateo and joined Medical Arts OBGyn.
I have lived in this piece of heaven we call the Peninsula since 2002. My husband is an attorney and works at a medical technology company. We have a son and and a daughter, both in elementary school, both feisty, both opinionated, both an infinite amount of joy and work. I enjoy traveling, skiing and exploring the coast with my family. I make it a priority to stay fit and healthy. It is very important for me to stay strong to enjoy my family and my career for many more years.
What made me become an ObGyn? Unequivocally, the answer to that question is watching my mother's journey through her own life. Watching and admiring her strength in tackling every day made me marvel at how strong women are in general. My sense of awe has been renewed time and time again during my training and experience in the field of ObGyn.
What do I love most about my job? That's easy. I love spending time with my patients, getting to know them , helping them help themselves and helping them learn how their bodies tick. I love meeting new women, going through life with them, growing up and old with them. I enjoy every aspect of the field of ObGyn. I take pride in trying to solve health issues as non-invasively as possible. Academically , my interests lie mainly in hormonal imbalances and hormonal treatments thereof. Most gratifying to me is having patients and myself work as a team to come up with plans and goals.
It has truly been an honor to be such an intimate part of the lives of so many women. I have witnessed girls become women, then become moms. I've cried with their joys and their pains. I have held worried hands, excited hands and fearful hands. The most wonderful part of being an ObGyn, in fact, is that we put our hearts and heads into our days and nights at work. Few other careers give one the opportunity to do that. I always feel and have always felt extremely lucky, happy and grateful to do what I do.
Beatrice Burke, MD
OB-GYN
“My father was an obstetrician gynecologist (OBGYN) in Connecticut. I worked in his office and became very familiar with the specialty. When I attended Cornell University Medical College (the same medical school as his), I found the rotation in obstetrics and gynecology was by far the most attractive.”
She trained with Robert Neuwirth, M.D., an early pioneer of hysteroscopic surgery, at St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital in New York. Dr. Burke has been practicing with MAOG since 2007; previously she was in private practice in Daly City.
She is also a member of the San Mateo County Medical Society, the California Medical Association, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the San Francisco Gynecological Society. She was named a “Top Doctor” now for several years; 2014 through 2020 by San Francisco Magazine.
Dr. Burke lives on the Peninsula with her husband and two children. She reports her household is never without a dog, or two. She also enjoys reading and music: “A few years ago, I began to take piano lessons—fulfilling a long-time desire to play piano. I also do a little gardening and running. I am a member of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society.”
Sandra Beretta, MD
OB-GYN
Read her story here:
“I grew up with a father who was a general surgeon in a small community, and I witnessed how remarkable it was to be able to help so many people and have a direct impact on their lives. I felt I too would like to contribute similarly. I chose Obstetrics and Gynecology as it allows me to compassionately care for women throughout their life stages. I enjoy helping women at a very special time of their life when pregnant, supporting them transition through puberty and menopause, and providing preventative care throughout their lifespan. The specialty allows me to both medically treat and surgically correct problems so that my patients can go forward with healthier lives.”
Dr. Beretta feels that making the correct diagnosis and then being able to provide a clear explanation so that patients can choose the best treatment based on accurate information is the key to a good medical experience.
While keeping abreast of the newest surgical techniques, including advanced laparoscopy and robotic surgery, she remains committed to her experienced traditional, lower risk vaginal surgery as well, and that does distinguish her practice from many others.
Dr. Beretta often combines her 25 years of medical expertise with mentoring young adults interested in medical careers and travels yearly to third world countries on medical missions to provide care for the indigent.
Professionally, Sandra is a board member for Norcal Mutual Insurance Company, a national medical liability carrier, and also sits on the board of Mills Peninsula Medical Group, representing a local group of 200+ physicians in independent practice. Not only did Dr. Beretta grow up in Fremont, California, but all of her education and training was also done in the state, with her undergraduate degree earned at UC Davis, a medical degree conferred from the University of Southern California and her residency training having been completed at UCSF.
She has four children, now in their teens and twenties, and her mother, 94, nearby; she enjoys spending time with her family, skiing, hiking, running and cooking big Italian meals to share with her family and friends.
“I most enjoy being able to see my patients around town healthy again after a surgery, or a recent delivery, and I cherish knowing that I contributed to their well-being in some small way. I do feel privileged to have patients allow me into their lives to care for them. I feel obligated to do the very best for them.”
Emily Yu, MD
OB-GYN
Read her story here:
"As a physician mom, I feel a strong commitment to all the women in our community to provide modern reproductive health care services in a safe, friendly environment. I'm a believer in gender equality, women's rights, and feminism, and an important aspect of that is empowering women to take charge of their health and reproductive decision-making. My medical training emphasized evidence-based medicine, and I feel it is important for our clinical decision-making to be guided by the science behind medicine. But it is equally important to factor in a patient's individual situation to put those guidelines into context. This is why I like to spend the time to get to know my patients, to understand their lives. Partly because it makes my job so much more enjoyable, but also so that I can arm women with the pertinent information to make the choices that are right for themselves."
Dr. Yu grew up in Salinas, California. She received her Bachelor's degree and Masters of Public Health at UCLA and spent several years working with health services researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Los Angeles. After four years of medical school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Dr. Yu returned to California to complete her ObGyn residency training at the University of California at San Francisco. She then joined Medical Arts Ob/Gyn September 2009.
Areas of special interest include contraception and family planning, general and high-risk obstetrics, general and adolescent gynecology, and abnormal uterine bleeding. "Though it is hard to surpass the magic of participating in the birth of a healthy baby, I enjoy all aspects of women's health care from simple preventive healthcare visits in the office to performing both minimally invasive procedures and major gynecologic surgeries. It's all about improving the quality of women's lives." She has previously spent years volunteering for women's health causes via organizations such as Planned Parenthood, domestic violence hotlines, and county family planning clinics.
Dr. Yu lives in San Francisco with her high school history teacher husband and 2 young children, volunteering in their schools when she has free time, and trying to re-learn Mandarin with help from her bilingual son and trilingual daughter. She enjoys musical theater, summer fruits from the Farmers' Markets, rooting for the 49ers and Michigan football teams, and attempting to keep up with her book club via audiobooks on her commute.
Melissa Duncanson, MD
OB-GYN
Dr. Melissa Duncanson MD is a board eligible OBGYN. Patients in San Mateo, California can see Dr. Duncanson for the full spectrum of obstetric and gynecologic care. Her specific professional interests include contraception, routine and high risk obstetrics, and surgical management of abnormal uterine bleeding.
Read her story here:
“Born and raised on the Peninsula, I am so excited to return to and care for the women of San Mateo County! I chose the field of OB/GYN because it provides an unparalleled window into the lives of women and their families at some of the most intimate aspects of their lives. I enjoy the field’s unique blend of medical and surgical management, as well as the rewarding nature of providing longitudinal care over the course of a woman’s lifetime. Having recently delivered my first son at Mills-Peninsula in June 2021, I am thrilled to bring a new first-hand perspective to the OB care I provide!”
Dr. Duncanson is an alumnus of Hillsborough’s Crystal Springs Uplands School and then completed her undergraduate degree at Colgate University. She received her medical degree at the University of Utah, followed by her residency training at Washington Hospital Center/Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
She is thrilled to be back in Burlingame where she and her husband enjoy spending time outdoors with their 3-month-old son. She loves to water ski, hike, and travel – and is perpetually in search of the best soft serve in town.
