Cathy Spatz Widom is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justiceof the City University of New York.

[3] Cathy Spatz Widom received her Bachelor of Arts degree in child development and family relationships at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

She is currently Distinguished Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York.

Widom's primary focus is on the long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect, and area in which she has published numerous papers on the cycle of violence.

Widom is known for her research pertaining to early childhood abuse (physical and sexual) and neglect in relation to later adversity, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, teenage pregnancy, intimate partner violence, prostitution, and exposure to HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.