Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 13, 2026

Mark Taubert

Mark Taubert is a German-British consultant doctor and professor of medicine at Cardiff University. He is a palliative care physician in Wales, who according to the Western Mail and Welsh Government website has contributed significantly to the development of his specialty, and has received recognition as a doctor and campaigner, nationally and internationally.

Last revised
Jun 13, 2026
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≈ 6 min
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Mark Taubert
FRCP FRCGP FLSW
Born
Hessen, Germany
Alma materUniversity of Dundee
OccupationConsultant Physician
Known forTEDx Talk "Why language matters when you are dying"
Notable workTalk CPR Learning and Education Resources "TalkCPR"
WebsiteCardiff University Staff Profiles "Prof Mark Taubert"

Mark Taubert is a German-British consultant doctor and professor of medicine at Cardiff University.12 He is a palliative care physician in Wales, who according to the Western Mail3 and Welsh Government website4 has contributed significantly to the development of his specialty, and has received recognition as a doctor and campaigner, nationally and internationally.

He wrote to the late David Bowie in January 2016 about a conversation he held with a dying patient, a letter that was shared across the world.5678

He is founder of TalkCPR, an international information campaign about cardiopulmonary resuscitation and do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation decisions. He is national chair of the Advance & Future Care Strategy Group for the NHS Wales Executive.

Media work

He has authored articles on medical topics and palliative care in international newspapers such as the Washington Post9 and the Guardian.1011 Taubert founded Talk CPR,1213 an international information campaign that discusses do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation decisions, also known by the acronym DNACPR. His explanatory Talk CPR resources have been viewed over a million times worldwide,14 and he has been interviewed and spoken about the topic on BBC News at Six and BBC News at 10.

Taubert has delivered a TEDx talk on the use of language in palliative care.15 He has also featured on two palliative care themed recordings for the UK's BBC Listening Project in 201916 and 202017 and on BBC Horizon's 'We need to talk about Death' with Kevin Fong.18

Awards

He has won national and international awards for his teaching and clinical work, including a Bafta award as part of a care team featured in an ITV documentary.19 He received the prestigious national BMJ/BMA Clinical Teacher of the year award,2021 the Best Trainer Award Wales 201622 and the Royal College of Physicians Excellence in Patient Care Award.23

In 2014, he was elected to become a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.24

Open letter to David Bowie

In 2016, he published a thank you letter to David Bowie after the singer's death, with reference to Bowie's last album, Blackstar.2526 The letter was initially published in the British Medical Journal2728 and then the Independent Newspaper29 and was shared by David Bowie's son Duncan Jones.30 It went viral online and in worldwide newsrooms.313233 It was subsequently read out by actor Benedict Cumberbatch34 and singer Jarvis Cocker35 at public events. The letter addresses issues such as palliative care and planning for the end of life. Bowie's story became a way to communicate important aspects of dying with a palliative care patient.3637

The letter was turned into a classical music string quartet composition for BBC Radio 3, featuring Taubert reading the letter.3836 It toured, premiering at the Royal Northern College of Music39 and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. According to the Herald Newspaper Scotland it 'sound tracked a reading of an open letter to David Bowie by palliative care doctor Mark Taubert, which has been a celebrated part of the marking of the passing of the rock star, played here on the fourth anniversary of his death.'40

The open letter has also been printed in several books, including Dylan Jones' David Bowie- A Life41 and Letters of Note - Music42 by Shaun Usher, part of the Letters Live event brand, where the letter was read out twice.

External links
References

References

  1. "Prof. Mark Taubert Cardiff University School of Medicine Staff Profile". Cardiff University School of Medicine Staff Profile Page. 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  2. Taubert, Mark (2020-05-31). "Coronavirus: Helping the bereaved with emotional PPE". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  3. Smith, Mark (8 October 2018). "'I felt as if I had come to my homeland'- the doctors from overseas who are vital to Wales' National Health Service". Western Mail. p. 28.
  4. Government, Wales (9 March 2023). "Dr Mark Taubert".
  5. Vincent, Alice (18 January 2016). "'Thank you for Blackstar': Palliative care doctor writes open letter to David Bowie". The Telegraph Newspaper.
  6. Leopold, Todd (2016-01-08). "David Bowie's son shares powerful letter". CNN. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  7. "Bowie's son shares thank you from palliative care doctor". New Zealand Herald. 18 January 2016.
  8. "Duncan Jones, il figlio di Bowie, rompe il silenzio con una toccante lettera". Rolling Stone Magazine Italy. 18 January 2016.
  9. Taubert, Mark (11 January 2019). "What's the last song you want to hear before you die?". The Washington Post.
  10. Taubert, Mark (3 February 2016). "This is not Casualty- In real life, CPR is brutal and usually fails". The Guardian Newspaper.
  11. Taubert, Mark (19 June 2023). "I thought I should always be positive with my patients – until I found out how damaging that can be". The Guardian Newspaper.
  12. Taubert, Mark; Norris, James; Edwards, Sioned; Snow, Veronica; Finlay, Ilora Gillian (December 2018). "Talk CPR - a technology project to improve communication in do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation decisions in palliative illness". BMC Palliative Care. 17 (1): 118. doi:10.1186/s12904-018-0370-9. PMC 6195698. PMID 30340632.
  13. "Creating a sustainable, prudent & vibrant NHS- The TalkCPR project". Western Mail. 2016-12-05. pp. 57–58. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  14. Hughes, Mary (2022-10-02). "Palliative care in the 'Kingdom in the sky': Lesotho". European Association for Palliative Care. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  15. "Why Language Matters When You Know You Are Dying". TEDx. 18 June 2017. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  16. Glover, Fi (2019-11-08). "The Listening Project- Mark and Faye, Trainer and Trainee". BBC Radio 4 - The Listening Project. BBC. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  17. Glover, Fi (2020-03-08). "BBC Radio 4 Listening Project- Sunday Edition: Mark and Darren - Strangers in conversation". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  18. Hogan, Michael (23 January 2019). "Horizon: We need to talk about Death Review: Would better palliative care help us to die happier?". Telegraph Newspaper.
  19. "ITV - Velindre, Hospital of Hope". 2018-04-11.
  20. "Leading Clinical teachers awarded for their work". Western Mail. 2017-04-10. p. 28. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  21. "Velindre Doctor Wins Clinical Teaching Award". Glamorgan Gem. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  22. Smith, Mark (2017-04-10). "Awards recognise our talented clinical teachers". Echo Newspaper. p. 25. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  23. "The last thing you want to talk about? CPR in palliative illness - EPCA Awards 2019". Royal College of Physicians. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  24. "Prestigious fellowship for four Velindre colleagues". Velindre University NHS Trust. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  25. "Un ejemplo para los cuidados paliativos". El Mundo Newspaper. January 2016. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  26. Best, Chloe (2016). "David Bowie's son returns to Twitter to share moving thank you letter from doctor". Hello Magazine. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  27. Taubert, Mark (2016). "Thank You Letter to David Bowie from a Palliative Care Doctor". BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. 6 (4): 500–501. doi:10.1136/bmjspcare-2016-001242. PMID 27760747. S2CID 2881997 – via British Medical Journal.
  28. McDermott, Maeve (19 January 2016). "David Bowie's son reveals poignant letter from doctor". USA Today.
  29. Taubert, Mark (22 January 2016). "David Bowie: NHS care doctor publishes tribute to the Starman". Independent Newspaper.
  30. Powell, Emma (18 January 2016). "David Bowie's son breaks silence to post touching letter from doctor to his late father". Evening Standard.
  31. "David Bowie helped lift taboo on death". BBC News. 2016. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  32. Andrea, Park (18 January 2016). "Duncan Jones shares doctor's letter to David Bowie". CBS News.
  33. "David Bowie's son returns to Twitter". Times of India. 17 January 2016.
  34. "Benedict Cumberbatch read out a Welsh doctor's letter about dying". WalesOnline. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  35. "Watch Jarvis Cocker read a letter to David Bowie about end-of-life-care". Telegraph. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  36. Rogers, Jude (2020-01-22). "Cremate me to the sound of Disco Inferno". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  37. Vincent, Alice (2016-01-18). ""Thank you for Blackstar"- Palliative Care doctor writes open letter to Bowie". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  38. Uren, John (11 April 2017). "BBC Radio 3' Hear & Now- Kammerklang: John Uren's 'Her Own Dying Moments' - a thank you letter to David Bowie from palliative care doctor Mark Taubert".
  39. "Decontamination #7 – Boulez/Bowie". Royal Northern College of Music Concerts. 2016-11-01.
  40. Bruce, Keith (12 January 2020). "Music: Aurea Quartet at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow". The Herald Scotland Newspaper.
  41. Jones, Dylan (2017). David Bowie - A Life. Crown Archetype. pp. 498–501. ISBN 978-0451497833.
  42. Usher, Shaun (2020). Letters of Note Music. Canongate. pp. 18–25. ISBN 9781786895592.