---
license: other
license_name: data-use-agreement
license_link: LICENSE
task_categories:
  - token-classification
language:
  - en
tags:
  - medical
  - clinical
  - phi
  - de-identification
  - ner
  - named-entity-recognition
pretty_name: "SHIELD Sample"
size_categories:
  - n<1K
configs:
  - config_name: sample_notes
    data_files: data/sample/notes.parquet
  - config_name: sample_spans
    data_files: data/sample/spans.parquet
default_config_name: sample_notes
---

> **This is a public sample of the SHIELD dataset.** It contains a small subset of the data for exploring the schema and building your pipeline. For the **full dataset**, see [tds-research-tech/shield](https://huggingface.co/datasets/tds-research-tech/shield) (requires access approval).

# SHIELD

SHIELD is a dataset of clinical text with PHI (Protected Health Information) span annotations for benchmarking de-identification and named entity recognition models. The dataset contains de-identified clinical notes from Stanford Medicine with expert-annotated PHI spans across 9 entity categories.

## Quickstart

1. This **public sample** is available without access approval — use it to explore the schema and build your pipeline
2. To access the **full dataset**, complete the [access request process](#access-requirements) at [tds-research-tech/shield](https://huggingface.co/datasets/tds-research-tech/shield)

## Dataset Structure

### Notes Table

| Column | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `note_id` | string | Unique identifier for each clinical note |
| `note_text` | string | Full text of the clinical note |
| `note_type` | string | Type of clinical note (e.g., discharge summary, radiology report) |

### Spans Table

| Column | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `span_id` | string | Unique identifier for each annotated span |
| `note_id` | string | Foreign key linking to the notes table |
| `span_start` | int | Character offset where the span begins |
| `span_end` | int | Character offset where the span ends |
| `span_label` | string | PHI category label |

### Labels

| Label | Description |
|---|---|
| `age` | Patient age |
| `date` | Dates (admission, discharge, procedures, etc.) |
| `doctor` | Physician or provider names |
| `hospital` | Hospital or facility names |
| `id` | Medical record numbers, SSNs, or other identifiers |
| `location` | Addresses, cities, states, zip codes |
| `patient` | Patient names |
| `phone` | Phone or fax numbers |
| `web` | Email addresses, URLs, IP addresses |

## Usage

### Loading the public sample

```python
from datasets import load_dataset

# Public sample (no access request needed)
sample_notes = load_dataset("tds-research-tech/shield-sample", "sample_notes")
sample_spans = load_dataset("tds-research-tech/shield-sample", "sample_spans")
```

### Loading the full dataset (requires access)

```python
from datasets import load_dataset

# Full dataset (requires approved access)
full_notes = load_dataset("tds-research-tech/shield", "full_notes")
full_spans = load_dataset("tds-research-tech/shield", "full_spans")
```

---

## Access Requirements

**NOTE:** You must apply using your institutional email address. If you use Gmail or other personal email addresses, you will not be granted access.

Before applying, make sure you have the following:

- A **Hugging Face account**. Create one at [huggingface.co/join](https://huggingface.co/join) if you don't have one. You will need to provide your Hugging Face username in the application.
- **Verified affiliation** with an Academic, Government, or Industry Research Lab. Please use your **institutional email address** when applying — do not use Gmail or personal emails.
- **CITI Training**: Complete the CITI Program course **"Data or Specimens Only Research"** (the same course required for MIMIC-IV access on PhysioNet). See [instructions here](https://physionet.org/about/citi-course/). You will need to upload your completion certificate during the application.

The access request process has six steps:

1. **Request Access on Hugging Face** — Go to [tds-research-tech/shield](https://huggingface.co/datasets/tds-research-tech/shield) and click "Request Access" to register your Hugging Face account.
2. **Complete CITI Training** — If you haven't already, complete the [CITI "Data or Specimens Only Research" course](https://physionet.org/about/citi-course/) and download your completion certificate.
3. **Submit Access Request on REDCap** — Complete our [REDCap verification form](https://redcap.stanford.edu/surveys/?s=LJ77HAA3HXRLTFEP). Provide your name, institution, role, Hugging Face username, intended use, and upload your CITI completion certificate.
4. **Sign the Data Use Agreement** — Read and electronically sign the DUA. You will be automatically redirected after step 3.
5. **Verify Your Institutional Email** — A verification link will be sent to your institutional email address. You must click the link to confirm ownership.
6. **Admin Review** — Your request will be reviewed and you will be notified by email of the decision. Once approved, access will be granted to your Hugging Face account.

These data must remain on your encrypted machine. **Redistribution of data is FORBIDDEN** and will result in immediate termination of access privileges.

### Important Notes

- Sending SHIELD data over a non-HIPAA-compliant API is a violation of the DUA.
- If you create derived research artifacts based on SHIELD (such as additional annotations or synthetic data), please contact us to discuss appropriate hosting and licensing.
- Please allow **5 business days** to process applications.

---

## Contact

JD Posada (jdposada@stanford.edu)

## Citation

```bibtex
@inproceedings{YOUR_CITATION,
  title={YOUR TITLE},
  author={YOUR AUTHORS},
  year={2026},
}
```