Andrew “Andy” Jablonski

Andrew “Andy” Jablonski is the Founder and Executive Director of the Short Bowel Syndrome Foundation, Inc. (SBSF), a patient-founded and patient-led 501(c)(3) public charity based in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Born in 1986 with almost none of his small intestine, Andy has lived with short bowel syndrome and the realities of intestinal failure for his entire life.

He depended on total parenteral nutrition from birth, navigated the long process of adaptation and nutritional support through childhood and adulthood, and has experienced firsthand the medical, emotional, practical, and systemic challenges that define life with this rare condition.

A near-fatal central-line infection and the ongoing demands of managing complex nutrition support deepened his resolve to ensure that no one else would have to face intestinal failure in isolation.

Andy founded the Short Bowel Syndrome Foundation with a simple but powerful promise: to create the education, peer support, resources, and advocacy that he and so many others had needed.

Under his leadership, SBSF has grown into the leading patient-founded voice for short bowel syndrome in the United States and a trusted global resource for thousands of patients, caregivers, and clinicians. The Foundation provides dedicated adult support spaces, educational tools, practical resources, awareness initiatives, and pathways for patients to influence research, clinical practice, and policy.

Served as a patient expert and advisor to industry partners; contributed to educational materials and market research for new therapies, including early work surrounding the launch of teduglutide (Gattex®).

Spoken at major medical meetings and collaborated with organizations such as the Oley Foundation and the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

Widely recognized for elevating the lived experience of adults with SBS and for insisting that patients be treated as essential partners in care, research, and system change.

He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he continues to lead SBSF with the same personal commitment that launched it: that every person living with short bowel syndrome and intestinal failure deserves clear information, genuine community, and a voice in the decisions that shape their lives.

The Short Bowel Syndrome Foundation, Inc. (SBSF) is a patient-founded, patient-led nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people living with short bowel syndrome and intestinal failure. Founded in 2010 in Lincoln, Nebraska, by lifelong SBS patient Andrew “Andy” Jablonski, the Foundation exists so that no one has to navigate this complex condition alone.

SBSF provides education, peer support, practical resources, and advocacy for patients of all ages and their caregivers, with a strong commitment to the distinct needs of adults. Through its Adult Support Group, Educational Hub, resource library, awareness efforts, and partnerships with clinicians and other organizations, the Foundation works to improve daily life, expand access to specialized care, and ensure that lived experience shapes the future of intestinal failure care.