Inaugural Conference
After years of preparation, Sonya Philip launched Learning Matters Foundation in December 2004. She invited world-renowned authority in learning disabilities, Dr. Mel Levine, to travel from his base in North Carolina to Learning Matters' headquarters in New Delhi. He presided over its three-day inaugural conference. Some 800 participants from all over India attended the conference including parents, educators, pediatricians, psychologists, and counselors. Our primary aim was to raise awareness so that children who are struggling in school can be identified, understood, and helped to learn at their highest potential.

Dr. Mel Levine

Dr. Mel Levine is a Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill. He is also the founder of All Kinds of Minds, a non-profit institute for the study of differences in learning. He also directs clinical programs for the evaluation of children and young adults with problematic learning issues.

He advocates a non-labeling approach, one that pinpoints and manages students' specific breakdown points, strengths, and affinities without stigmatizing or oversimplifying.

He is the author of numerous articles and books including A Mind At A Time (a New York Times best seller).

Dr. Levine graduated summa cum laude from Brown University and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, UK. He later graduated from Harvard Medical School.