The Police Service Commission (PSC) Thursday promoted Hauwa Ibrahim Jibrin to the rank of Commissioner of Police (CP). Her promotion was part of the recent advancement of 27 senior officers, including 11 Commissioners of Police elevated to AIG and 16 Deputy Commissioners of Police promoted to substantive Commissioner of Police. Hauwa Ibrahim Jibrin, born on October 28, 1972, in Fagge local government area of Kano state, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, a Postgraduate Diploma in Security and Strategic Studies, and a Master’s degree in the same field. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. She is the first female northerner to be appointed as a Commissioner of Police. Before her promotion, Jibrin served as the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of administration at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command. The PSC, led by Hashimu Argungu, has introduced written and oral examinations as part of its promotion process to ensure competence and preparedness. Argungu stated the need for continuous improvement and ICT proficiency among officers. Jibrin’s promotion highlights her exemplary service record and reflects the PSC’s focus on professionalism in police advancement.
How will the pharmaceuticals and healthcare industry change in 2025? One of the key advances in 2024 – artificial intelligence – is set to further disrupt healthcare into the new year. Digital Journal heard from Ryan Brown , Regional VP, Trial Landscape at H1 , a provider of global data on healthcare professionals, clinical insights, and research. Using AI to Combat Rare Diseases With nearly 1,000 AI-enabled devices approved , the U.S. FDA has strongly supported the use of AI in medicine. According to Brown: “In 2025, we will see AI leveraged for faster, more accurate diagnoses in rare disease cases, reducing the rate of more than a quarter of rare disease patients who spend 7+ years until they receive a correct diagnosis (up from 15 percent from 30 years ago). By connecting symptom patterns and medical histories across dispersed datasets, clinicians will identify rare conditions sooner, reducing the time to diagnosis by years and drastically improving outcomes.” Brown expands on the potentials of AI further: “Beyond diagnosis, AI will predict treatment responses, personalize therapies, and uncover new disease patterns. And, in rare diseases where patient populations are limited, AI’s ability to streamline trial design and identify patients most likely to benefit from specific therapies will further accelerate rare disease treatment.” Clinical Trial Diversity: Global Shift to Inclusive, Start-to-Finish Diversity in Clinical Trials In 2025, diversity will be a core consideration of clinical trial design from the outset, not just in later stages. Brown foresees: “Unlike the FDA’s guidance on diversity action plans, the U.K.’s draft Inclusion and Diversity Plan guidance pushes pharmaceutical companies to consider a wider range of factors beyond race and ethnicity, beginning at early-phase trials. This approach will influence global standards, and it won’t be long before the U.S. and other countries follow suit.” As to what is likely to happen: “This shift will push the industry to take a more granular approach to collecting and analyzing patient diversity data so trials reflect real-world populations from the start. For example, capturing detailed, region-specific nuances such as ethnic subgroups, transient populations, transgendered populations, religious sects, neurodiversity, rural populations, and other social determinants of health (SDoH).” Brown thinks: “This will stimulate advancements in clinical trial technology. AI and machine learning will be integral for capturing and analyzing this data to identify ideal trial candidates, and we’ll likely see new tools to track SDoH and applications that increase trial accessibility, especially for rural and underrepresented populations.” Novel Site Collaborations to Depoliticize Trial-Level DEI and Drive Culturally Compassionate Care With clinical trials,Brown predicts: “In the evolving landscape of clinical trials, the push for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has often been fraught with political undertones that can overshadow the genuine need for culturally compassionate care. Emerging models of site collaboration, however, are paving the way to reframe DEI beyond compliance mandates, fostering genuine, inclusive partnerships that resonate with the communities they aim to serve.” Brown adds: “By cultivating collaborations rooted in mutual respect and understanding, clinical trial sites are becoming hubs of inclusive health practices– reflected in their increasingly diverse workforce, ability to obtain novel data points from underserved communities to better inform AI models, and unique localized partnerships that support greater patient engagement. These novel approaches not only depoliticize DEI but also ensure that diverse populations receive care that reflects their unique cultural contexts, ultimately driving better trial outcomes and fostering trust within underrepresented communities.” Brown concludes: “This new era of site collaboration holds the promise of reimagining patient-centricity by focusing on what truly matters—health equity that transcends political divides, transforming trials into instruments of compassionate, culturally attuned care.” Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.
NoneStop & Shop cybersecurity issue empties shelves before Thanksgiving: Are locations in your state affected?
By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS NEW YORK (AP) — A ransomware attack that hit a major software provider last week caused disruptions for a handful of companies over recent days, from Starbucks to U.K. grocery giant Morrisons. Blue Yonder, which provides supply chain technology to a range of brands worldwide, said that it experienced disruptions to services it manages for customers on Thursday, which the third-party software supplier determined to be “the result of a ransomware incident.” Some systems went offline, impacting clients using Blue Yonder’s software. A spokesperson for Starbucks, for example, said that the chain’s ability to manage barista schedules and track hours was disrupted — meaning store leaders across North America are currently being instructed to use manual workarounds. Starbucks maintained that the outage is not impacting how customers are served and that ensuring workers get paid for all hours worked is a top priority. While the company continues to work towards full recovery, the spokesperson added that Starbucks was able to process payroll again as of Tuesday morning. Two of the U.K.’s biggest grocers, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s, were also affected — with both telling CNN over the weekend that they had turned to contingency plans to keep operations flowing. A spokesperson for Morrisons confirmed to The Associated Press that the outage “impacted our warehouse management systems for fresh and produce” and that it was continuing to operate on back up systems Tuesday. Sainsbury’s, meanwhile, said Tuesday that its service was restored. Related Articles National News | Man found guilty of holding down teen while he was raped at a youth center in 1998 National News | What Black Friday’s history tells us about holiday shopping in 2024 National News | New rule allows HIV-positive organ transplants National News | Walmart becomes latest – and biggest – company to roll back its DEI policies National News | Today in History: November 26, Mumbai terror attacks of 2008 begin Blue Yonder declined to disclose how many of its customers were impacted by the hack. In a statement sent to the AP, a spokesperson maintained that it had notified “relevant customers” and would continue to communicate as needed. The spokesperson also maintained that recovery efforts were still underway — noting that Blue Yonder “has been working diligently together with external cybersecurity firms to make progress,” including the implementation of several defensive and forensic protocols. Blue Yonder’s website touts an extensive global roster of customers — including Gap, Ford and Walgreens. Walgreens and Gap were not impacted following the ransomware attack, spokespeople for the companies said. Ford shared that it was investigating whether the incident affected its operations earlier this week, but had no further updates when reached Tuesday. Blue Yonder, based in Arizona, is a subsidiary of Japan’s Panasonic Corp. Panasonic acquired the supply chain software firm in September 2021.None