Olivia Farrow is currently acting as the Interim Health Commissioner for the City of Baltimore.

Commissioner Farrow received her BS in biology in 1982 from Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. Her career began with the Baltimore City Health Department as an Environmental Sanitarian in 1985. Throughout her tenure as an Environmental Sanitarian, she worked in the Bureau of Animal Control, the Bureau of Food Control and the former Community Hygiene and Institutional Facilities.

Commissioner Farrow went back to school in the evening and earned her JD from the University of Baltimore, School of Law in 1995. In 2000, she became the first lead paint prosecutor for the Mayor’s Lead Paint Poisoning Prevention Initiative. In 2002, Olivia was appointed to the position of the Director of the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. She held that position until November 2003 when she was appointed as the Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Environmental Health.

In February of 2009, Commissioner Farrow was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner for the newly created Division of Environmental Health and Emergency Programs.

As Health Commissioner, Ms. Farrow leads an agency of approximately 800 employees with a budget of approximately $150 million in fiscal year 2008.  The Health Department is responsible for numerous areas of health policy and programs including control of infectious diseases, school health, emergency preparedness, maternal-child health, restaurant inspections, animal control, and chronic disease prevention.  Commissioner Farrow also serves as chair of the board of four affiliated nonprofit agencies: Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems, Inc., Baltimore Healthcare Access, Inc., Baltimore City Healthy Start, Inc., and Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Inc.