Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Louisa Picco (MPH, PhD) is an NHMRC Emerging Leader Senior Research Fellow and the Drug Policy and Harm Reduction Program Lead at the Monash Addiction Research Centre in Melbourne. Her research adopts a multifaceted approach to explore the impact of opioid policies and harm reduction strategies, as well as the development and adoption of clinical screening tools to identify opioid related risks for use in clinical practice. She also has extensive experience in mental health research, and mental health and substance use related stigma.
Dr Picco has published over 130 peer-reviewed publications which have been cited over 3210 (Scopus) to 5700 (Google) times, with an h-index =31 (Scopus) to 39 (Google), i10-index =73. She has been awarded over $2.9M in research funding in Australia. In addition, she has also been a Co-Investigator in >$8M in research funding in Singapore.
Research interests
Dr Picco's research areas of interest include identifying and responding to prescription opioid related risks and harms, particularly through the implementation of prescription drug monitoring programs.
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, Examination Of Prescription Opioidrelated Risks Using Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs And Clinical Screening Tools, MONASH UNIVERSITY
Award Date: 23 Nov 2022
MPH, Deakin University
Award Date: 23 Oct 2006
BAppSc(FoodScNut), Deakin University
Award Date: 28 Oct 2003
Research area keywords
- Addiction
- prescription drug
- Opioid
- Mental Health
- Stigma
- Drug Addiction
- Public Health
- Drug policy
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Co-designing pain management with people in opioid dependence treatment
Nielsen, S. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Davies, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Ashton-James, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Dowla, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Lim, M. S. C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Murnion, B. P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Glare, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Yang, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Lord, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Dietze, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Higgs, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Rowland, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), MacCartney, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Picco, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Cheetham, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Crawford, S. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Lubman, D. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Fischer, A. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Fyfield, L. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Demirkol, A. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Petrie, D. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/07/25 → 30/06/27
Project: Research
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Optimising the investment in real-time prescription drug monitoring
Picco, L. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
NHMRC - National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia)
1/01/23 → 31/12/27
Project: Research
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Analysis of Opioid Pharmacotherapy and High-Risk Medication Prescribing and Dispensing Trends in Victoria
Nielsen, S. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Picco, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Xia, T. (Chief Investigator (CI))
30/06/25 → 30/06/26
Project: Research
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Empowering consumers with health literacy in opioid safety
Nielsen, S. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Dietze, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Boogs, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), McMaugh, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Picco, L. (Chief Investigator (CI))
6/09/23 → 15/08/25
Project: Research
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Characterising the Beyond 50 cohort: preliminary exploration of physical and psychosocial health factors and substance use among a cohort of community dwelling adults aged 50–70 Years
Laing, R., Lam, T., Rowland, B., Dietze, P., Lalor, A., Hill, K. D., Alfrey, L., Andrew, N. E., Arunogiri, S., Bright, S., Picco, L. & Nielsen, S., Sept 2026, In: Drug and Alcohol Review. 45, 6, 15 p., e70228.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Impact of Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Implementation on Rates and Characteristics of People Seeing Multiple Prescribers in Primary Care: A Controlled Interrupted Time-Series Analysis
Picco, L., Jung, M., Russell, G., Lalic, S., Fini, M. A., Lubman, D. I., Buchbinder, R., Xia, T. & Nielsen, S., Jun 2026, In: Medical Journal of Australia. 224, 6, 9 p., e70219.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Reply to letter to the editor regarding “contextualizing “strong opioid” initiation—beyond classification toward clinical intent”
Gurung, B. T., Xia, T., Picco, L., Russell, G., Pearce, C. & Nielsen, S., 1 Feb 2026, In: Pain Medicine. 27, 2, p. 233 1 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Other › peer-review
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Rethinking iOAT Delivery: Could Community Pharmacies Provide a Scalable, Person-Centred Treatment Setting?
Nielsen, S. & Picco, L., Jan 2026, In: Drug and Alcohol Review. 45, 1, 2 p., e70090.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment / Debate › Other › peer-review
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A cross-sectional study of prescribing of antiseizure medication for the treatment of pain in Australia
Xia, T., Ilomaki, J., Picco, L. & Nielsen, S., 2025, In: International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy. 47, 5, p. 1520–1525 6 p., e067746.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
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2024-25 Premier's Award for Health and Medical Research (Public Health Award)
Picco, L. (Recipient), 2025
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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APSAD 2022 Conference Registration Scholarship
Picco, L. (Recipient), 2022
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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APSAD Kyp Kypri Early Career Award
Picco, L. (Recipient), 2025
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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CPDD and NIDA Women & Sex/Gender Junior Investigator Travel Award
Picco, L. (Recipient), 2024
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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CPDD Travel Award for Early Career Investigators
Picco, L. (Recipient), 2025
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
- 1 Contribution to conference
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Victorian Alcohol & Drug Association Conference 2023
Nielsen, S. (Organiser), Cheetham, A. (Speaker), Jackson, J. (Organiser), Lord, S. (Organiser), Petrie, D. (Organiser), Jacka, D. (Organiser), Picco, L. (Organiser) & Morgan, K. (Organiser)
9 Feb 2023 → 10 Feb 2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference