Medical policy: meet the team

Dr John Burke MA MB BCh MRCGP

Chief Medical Officer and Director of Medical Policy 

John is our Chief Medical Officer and oversees medical regulatory concerns, clinical quality, risk & governance, medical policy and claims management as well as providing medical leadership and acting as AXA Health’s medical spokesperson.

He was educated at Cambridge and Oxford Universities, where he pursued an interest in neuroscience. He was an NHS doctor for 23 years, a GP partner for 15 years and a GP trainer for 14 years. In his role he steers AXA Health's policy in areas such as evidence-based medicine, value-based commissioning, overdiagnosis and low-value care, service design and supply chain management.

Dr Steve Granier

Medical Officer, Policy 

Steve works as an NHS GP and is involved in medical student teaching, GP registrar training and clinical research around antimicrobial resistance.​

He is an honorary Research Fellow at the University of Bristol and Consultant to the UK Health Security Agency on antimicrobial stewardship.

Dr Chris Godsmark

Medical Officer, Policy 

Chris, a former GP practice partner, advises AXA Health on complex and high-cost claims management. ​

Areas of expertise include robotics and proton beam therapy. His work includes reviews of underwriting, NICE guidelines, unproven treatment and AXA Health website/newsletter articles. He also looks at health assessment and strategies for urgent policy decision changes.

Sarah Evans

Medical Policy Manager

Sarah is a Registered Nurse with a wealth of experience in acute health services and private medical insurance.

She joined AXA Health in 2008 as a Clinical Centre Nurse Case Manager, then as team manager for the Medical & Surgical Care Team.

Before joining Dr Burke’s team in August 2022 she worked in the Clinical Quality & Governance Team.

Lynne Neeves

Pharmacy and Research Specialist

Lynne is a pharmacologist who joined AXA Health in 2002, a time of great change with the introduction of biological therapies.

She has been extensively involved in many areas of the business and moved to the Clinical Centre as the Pharmacy and Research expert before joining Dr Burke’s team in 2019.

Clare Newell

Research Nurse

Clare joined AXA Health in 1997 as a Clinical Centre nurse case manager in Eastbourne, then worked as the Twilight nurse case manager, before taking on her current research role as one of the first homeworkers in 2003, before moving to join Dr Burke’s team in 2019.