About Us
HistorySince 2007
Charting the Science of Structural Integration
Our History
Dr. Ida P. Rolf was a biochemist and researcher, who was keenly interested in researching the field of Structural Integration. This foundation strives to fulfill her legacy.
The Ida P. Rolf Research Foundation is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization established to encourage and support evidence-based studies of Structural Integration’s effects and its implications for conventional and complementary health care. The Foundation was created with generous support from the Rolf Institute® of Structural Integration, Boulder, Colorado. The Rolf Institute provided the initial financing and talent. Since then, the Foundation has become an independent entity that seeks to advance the entire field of Structural Integration and all recognized schools of SI.
The Foundation is dedicated to growing the symbiotic relationship between science and therapeutic practice. Our focus on collaborative research is grounded in over 40 years of experience improving the human condition through Structural Integration, as originally taught by Dr. Rolf. Advancements in scientific tools and research methods are increasing our understanding of the practice of Structural Integration and uncovering shared interests with other fields.
The Foundation was introduced at the First International Fascia Research Congress (FRC) in October 2007 at the Harvard Medical Center. The first international conference was dedicated to fascia in all its forms and functions and drew 700 people from 28 countries. In 2008, the Fascia Research Congress came under the umbrella of the Foundation and continues to bring scientists and clinicians together to share their ideas and explorations.
The Fascia Research Society was created in 2012 under the Ida. P. Rolf Research Foundation (IPRRF).
The Ida P. Rolf Research Foundation is pleased to announce that as of June 1, 2020, the Fascia Research Society has been established as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, with the Fascia Research Congress under their new umbrella. For more information about the FRS and FRC, please visit https://fasciaresearchsociety.org .
In Memoriam
IPRRF Past Board President Libby Eason and first Director Thomas Findley at Fascia Research Congress IV
We are sad to announce that after a long and uneven battle fought with courage, strength, and humor, as of September 20th, 2018, Dr. Leon Chaitow is no longer with us. In the few months that he was ill, he was able to complete his last book, Fascial Dysfunction 2nd edition, available from Handspring Publishers, and made arrangements for editorial succession of the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. For those of you who knew him well, please know that, in the words of Dylan Thomas, Leon raged like few against the dying of the light and did not go gentle into that good night. His legacy lives on in his many books and articles, in the students he taught, in the patients he treated, and in the family to whom he was a most beloved husband and father whose loss will never fade. The greatest way to honor him is to continue to carry that torch.
Resource Organizations
