Dr. Gregory Wolbring is a leading disability studies, ability studies and sustainability studies scholar. In 2012, Dr. Wolbring coined the term “eco-ableism,” a conceptual framework that contextualizes ability expectations within the relationships between humans, animals, and the environment. This term and the research it inspired have contributed to a better understanding of how ability expectations shape environmental policy, ecological movements, and our treatment of the natural world.

Dr. Wolbring serves as a professor at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, where he also leads an interdisciplinary student research group called the WolbPack. This group of undergraduate students have explored a wide variety of topics, with a focus on societal angles. As of 2025, the WolbPack has published over 30 papers covering a variety of environmental and sustainability topics, including climate change, food security, sustainable development, and ecohealth.

For his work on eco-ableism and disability justice, Dr. Wolbring was named as a finalist for the University of Calgary’s 2020 Sustainability Award. To learn more about Dr. Wolbring’s work, visit his faculty biography at the “Definition” link below or his website at the “Action” link below.