• The Uncle Sam Google interface (red white and blue, very cute) is just awesome. It only searches federal and state government sites and is fantastic for pulling up health statistics, state guidelines, etc. Plus, it is not nearly as restrictive as the advanced .gov Google search which only hits federal sources. [Contributed by Ann Hallyburton]

• From the National Library of Medicine (part of NIH), www.medlineplus.gov is the supreme be all end all as far as consumer health information goes IMHO. It's not only a widely recognized GREAT patient resource, it's also wonderful for beginning and seasoned practitioners, too, because it has a fine encyclopedia, dictionary, and drug information tools. Primarily this site aggregates credible health information websites. [Contributed by Ann Hallyburton]

• Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce has numerous links for epidemiology, including a page of health data tools and statistics

• globalhealthfacts.org, operated by the Kaiser Foundation, provides free, easy access to a range of global health information for the world’s countries. Country-level data, across a wide range of areas and topics, are displayed in tables, charts, and color-coded maps and can be downloaded for custom analyses. [Contributed by Corrie Piontak]

• HEALTHmap | Global disease alert mapping system brings together disparate data sources to achieve a unified view of the current global state of infectious diseases. This freely available web site uses an automated text processing system to aggregate outbreak data from Google News, ProMED, and WHO by disease and display them by location for user-friendly access to the original alert. HEALTHmap provides a jumping-off point for real-time information on emerging infectious diseases and has particular interest for public health officials and international travelers. [From the Diabetes Care and Education Listserv. Contributed by Sonia Cotto-Moreno]

For handy references or to brush up your math or writing skills, check out:

• www.onlineconversion.com – convert measurements from one unit to another – over 5,000 units, and 50,000 conversions from Larry Rosenthal, DDS
• Math Review: Useful Math for Everyone – ratios and proportions, elementary algebra, exponents and logarithms – from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health
• Do you have a math question (except on exams!) ? Ask Dr.Math at MathForum.org
• UNC-CH Writing Center – free personalized assistance for students (including distance learning) at UNC-CH
• Guide to Grammar and Writing, maintained by Professor of English Charles Darling for English courses at Capital Community College
• Purdue's Online Writing Lab
• Andy Ruina's guide to Practical Writing

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Habla español? Parlez-vous français? Lei parla l'italiano? Spreekt u Nederlands? Fala português? Translate epidemiologic terms among Catalan, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish (at the IEA website – scroll down to Epilex). [My translations courtesy of FreeTranslation.com]

• More websites