In 1901, he studied in Berlin, Prague and Leipzig. Akel worked a private ophthalmologist in Tallinn, and in 1907 he was one of the founders of the Private Clinic of Estonian Physicians.
Akel's academic journey took him to Berlin, Prague, and Leipzig in 1901. He worked privately as an eye specialist in Tallinn before co-founding the Private Clinic of Estonian Physicians in 1907.