Our Founders
Kristyn (Kris) Brandi, MD, MPH, FACOG is a board-certified OB/GYN and complex family planning subspecialist whose career has consistently lived at the intersection of clinical excellence and radical vision. As the Chief Visionary Officer and co-founder of Luminosas Wellness Collective, Kris is reimagining what reproductive care can and should look like—joyful, culturally-rooted, and grounded in community healing.
A queer Latina of Puerto Rican and Panamanian descent, Kris was the first in her family to graduate college and become a physician. She came into medicine with a deep commitment to social justice and never left that behind. Instead, she’s woven it into every room she walks into—whether mentoring the next generation of providers, writing national clinical guidelines, or testifying on Capitol Hill.
Her leadership spans the country: from serving as the Darney-Landy Fellow at ACOG to co-founding the anti-racist collective CERCL-FP. She’s held national board seats, consulted for powerhouse orgs like SFP and NAF, and trained countless clinicians in providing values-aligned, non-judgmental abortion care.
But Kris is more than her CV. She’s the quiet storm in the movement—the one who builds, teaches, and dreams with precision. At Luminosas, she’s not just offering healthcare. She’s cultivating a model for what’s possible when liberation and clinical brilliance meet. Patients feel it. Staff feel it. And future leaders see themselves reflected in her.
Catherine Obando, MSN, NP-C
Catherine (Cathy) Obando, MSN, NP-C is a proud first-generation Colombian-American, bilingual, and bicultural nurse practitioner whose lived experiences as a queer Latina inform every aspect of her clinical care and leadership. A nationally recognized abortion provider, Cathy became the first nurse practitioner in New Jersey trained and credentialed to independently perform procedural abortions—groundbreaking work that has expanded access for countless patients.
Rooted in reproductive justice and community care, Cathy co-founded Luminosas Wellness Collective to reimagine what affirming, trauma-informed healthcare can look and feel like. As Luminosas’ Chief Hype + Heart Officer, she leads with deep emotional intelligence and cultural grounding, making sure every touchpoint—from the waiting room to the exam room—feels radically welcoming. Her vision is bold: to create a space where BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and marginalized communities feel deeply seen, safe, and celebrated.
She brings years of experience as a sexual and reproductive health clinician and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Abortion Federation, where she co-chairs the DEIA Committee. Cathy is also a leadership circle member of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice (NY Chapter), where she co-hosts community events that move RJ values beyond the clinical space and into real-world practice.
Known for her integrity, warmth, and unapologetic authenticity, Cathy leads with values of equity, respect, and transparency. She is committed to building the pipeline from patient to provider, and to showing up as the provider she once wished she had—visible, real, and radically welcoming.
At Luminosas, she brings her full self: the clinician, the advocate, the community hype-woman, and the joyful believer that care can be both sacred and liberatory.