Jarmo Visakorpi was invited to Tampere in the early 1970s to establish the new Faculty of Medicine. He served as professor of paediatrics as well as dean and vice rector before being elected as rector in 1981.

Twenty years later, Visakorpi was forced to fight for the existence of the Faculty of Medicine in his role as rector. It was a time of recession, and the field of Finnish university education was being reorganised. Nevertheless, the defensive battle led by Visakorpi succeeded: medical education was reorganised and was allowed to continue in Tampere.