About the Musician Treatment Foundation

The Musician Treatment Foundation (MTF) assists in delivering free and low-cost surgical and nonsurgical care for the shoulder, elbow, and hand injuries of uninsured and underinsured professional musicians. MTF is dedicated to fostering a world that cares for its injured musicians regardless of their ability to pay so they can maintain their livelihoods and keep the music playing for us all.

Professional musicians can spend over 90% of a year performing live on the road, away from personal and medical support systems. Injuries can arise without warning from the repetitive intensity of playing instruments and from unexpected accidents. MTF is a unique nonprofit – in design, scope, and breadth – that facilitates and funds upper limb treatment and continuity of care for needful musicians at home and on tour. We do that through our Physicians for Musicians, a network of like-minded orthopedic surgeons.

Our mission is driven by five initiatives:

1. CARE and support for the shoulder, elbow, and hand problems of uninsured and underinsured professional musicians.

2. EDUCATE musicians, both amateur and professional, on upper limb injuries and preventative techniques that will minimize or prevent musician-specific injuries.

3. BUILD the first physician-surgeon network and musician registry dedicated to facilitating care across the country and around the world.

4. CREATE the first cloud-based platform to allow state-of-the-art remote preoperative, postoperative, and non-operative continuity of care.

5. SHARE new research and outcomes data with the world to illuminate the unique diagnostic and treatment issues facing all musicians.

In just over six years, MTF has assisted in providing free surgical and non-surgical care for the shoulders, elbows, and hands of deserving professional musicians valued at over $2,700,000. MTF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and copies of its Form 990s are available on request.

As a practicing orthopedic surgeon for over two decades, O. Alton Barron, MD, has witnessed the    devastating impact upper-limb injuries can have on working musicians. After providing pro bono or greatly discounted surgical care to musicians whenever possible, Dr. Barron realized that he had to find a way to bring this service to many more musicians in need. His vision gave rise to the Musician Treatment Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in October 2017.

The nonprofit is overseen by a 13-member board of directors who contribute their keen expertise in business, music, law, healthcare, technology, design, and more. As early board members, Dr. Barron’s longtime friends, Elvis Costello and Diana Krall, were instrumental in bringing hope and momentum to the foundation.

Dr. O. Alton Barron

Founder and Executive Director