Formerly an assistant clinical professor at Tufts University School of Medicine,[2] Ablow resigned as a member of the American Psychiatric Association in 2011, in protest to the APA's tacit support of transgender surgeries, which he considered irresponsible.

[4] According to the Associated Press, Ablow "freely mixes psychiatric assessments with political criticism, a unique twist in the realm of cable news commentary that some medical colleagues find unethical.

[9][10] Ablow has written columns for publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, Newsweek, The Baltimore Sun, The Boston Herald and FoxNews.com.

The column sparked a controversy around his claims that painting a child's toenails pink could have an effect on their gender identity and led to accusations of overreaction, as was reported upon by numerous news media sources.

[18][19] In August 2014, as a guest co-host on the Fox News show, Outnumbered, Ablow criticized First Lady Michelle Obama's weight, stating "she needs to drop a few [pounds].

[27] The Associated Press has reported that Ablow "freely mixes psychiatric assessments with political criticism, a unique twist in the realm of cable news commentary that some medical colleagues find unethical.

[5] He publicly speculated, in an October 2012 Huffington Post op-ed that then-Vice President Joe Biden had dementia after his 2012 VP debate performance.

[28] Ford Vox, a staff physiatrist at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, said that Ablow's attempts to connect his political views to medical analysis "is really just irresponsible and it's embarrassing for physicians in general.

"[5] Jeffrey Lieberman, chairman of psychiatry at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and past president of the American Psychiatric Association, remarked, "It is shameful and unfortunate that he is given a platform by Fox News or any other media organization.

[30] On May 15, 2019, the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine indefinitely suspended Ablow's medical license, concluding he posed an "immediate and serious threat to the public health, safety and welfare.