Dr. Abbate graduated cum laude from the University of Delaware and earned his medical degree from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. He completed his internship in internal medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, then his dermatology residency at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
 
Dr. Abbate was later an attending physician at Buffalo General Hospital while maintaining a part-time private practice. He joined The Dermatology Group in July 2003. Dr. Abbate has published and presented research on a variety of topics; he won the Dr. Ernest Beutner Excellence in Immunopathology Award in 2001, for his work on bullous (blistering) disorders & immunofluorescence as a diagnostic tool. His work at The Dermatology Group focuses on treating bullous disorders, psoriasis, and skin cancers.